Cameron kicked off his loafers and sank into the inviting sofa. He sighed, relieved, and grabbed his glass of whisky from the coffee table, its aroma mingling with the dim light of the room. Just as his fingertips grazed the cool surface of the glass, a shrill ring from his phone shattered the tranquility. Frowning, he eyed the caller ID before answering.
“Hey?”
“Cameron, it’s me.” Ray's voice trembled over the line. “Something really messed up happened today, and I can't tell my parents because they’ll get really mad at me!”
Cameron set the glass back on the table, now fully attentive. “Alright, slow down. What’s up?”
Ray’s words tumbled out in a panicked rush. “These guys came to the back of my school in a car, and they were yelling at us and stuff, and they grabbed my friend, and then they took this other kid’s clothes and kidnapped him!”
Cameron leaped to his feet, urgency coiling in his chest. “Ray, are you for real?”
“Yes! This happened like three or four hours ago and I couldn’t tell anyone and I’ve been freaking out!”
“Jesus! You mean you didn’t say anything to any of the teachers?”
“No!”
Cameron’s fingers pressed into his temples as he struggled to process the abrupt chaos that had so suddenly disrupted his evening, and began to pace throughout the living room. “I mean, Jesus, Ray, do I need to come over there? Should we be calling the police? Why haven’t you told anyone?!” he shouted, his voice escalating with each question.
“They threatened us not to talk about them or their club or we…” Ray’s voice faded to a whisper.
“Club? What club, Ray?”
Ray went quiet for a moment. How much should he say? “I don’t really know… well, maybe I do… they were wearing fancy red suits and had these masks on—”
“Hold on. Fancy red suits… like, tuxedos?”
“Yeah, exactly!” Ray replied, a flicker of hope surfacing with Cameron’s recognition.
“Are you completely certain?”
“Yeah. Red tuxedos, yes.”
Cameron’s response stalled, his silence stretching over the line as soft static. Ray could hear his own heartbeat through the silence.
“Cameron?” Ray asked, his voice small.
When Cameron finally did speak, his voice carried a weight that it didn’t before. “Ray, sometimes things happen that we can’t—shouldn’t get involved in.”
“What?!” Ray shouted, confusion spiraling into fear.
Cameron’s voice became quiet and stern. “Just… act like it never happened. Please trust me and stay quiet for now, alright?”
“H–huh? Why?” The boy’s voice trembled, a chilling suspicion crawling up his spine.
“It’s hard for me to explain. Let me figure this out and call you back.”
Ray was paralyzed, horrified by Cameron’s unexpected recognition, and unsure how to even respond. Mechanically, he set the phone in its cradle, ending the call, his gaze burning into it as if it had wronged him. His fingers tightened around its cold frame, feeling alone, the last bastion of adult trust destroyed by a single phone call. The Omen Rose had drilled its way into his life and simply wouldn’t leave him alone. A tangle of confusion, fear, and the sting of betrayal churned within him. What now?
He considered calling Jonah again, but if he hadn’t picked up five minutes ago, why would he now? Begrudgingly, he stepped down from the stool. His socked footsteps were heavy with uncertainty as he trudged down the hallway to his room. He pushed open the door and stepped inside, his eyes briefly meeting Ash’s. The cat curled up at the foot of the bed, seemed to sense his mood, and hopped gracefully onto the floor as if to make room for him.
Climbing into bed, his body sunk into the mattress, and he grabbed a pillow to put over his face. The soft fabric muffled the outside world but did little to quiet the storm of new questions raging in his mind. Among the swirling questions, one loomed large: Was Cameron part of the Omen Rose? Could it be?
An hour passed, and Ray found himself sitting on the living room sofa, sketchbook open on his lap, when the front door creaked open.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Hey there, kid,” his dad replied, tossing his keys onto the entryway table. His eyes met Ray’s. “Everything okay with you?”
“I’m fine,” Ray replied, averting his focus back to his drawing.
“You sure?” his dad persisted. “You’ve got that look again. Are you feeling sick?”
“No, I’m okay. Seriously.” Ray hesitated for a moment before closing his sketchbook. “I have a question, actually. What’s the handyman’s name?”
His dad’s eyebrows knitted together. “Terry? What’s got you mentioning him all of a sudden?”
“I just thought I saw him at our school today is all,” Ray said, watching his dad carefully through the corner of his eyes, but his dad seemed more confused than suspicious.
“What was he doing there?” his dad asked, easing himself onto the couch beside Ray.
“Fixing stuff, I guess,” Ray muttered. “Are you sure he’s just a handyman?”
“What's with all the questions, eh? C’mon, the special report is on and I’m lookin’ to relax. You get your homework done?” His dad grabbed the remote and started flipping channels, eyes shifting toward the TV.
“No, but,” Ray’s voice dropped, “can I go to a friend’s house tomorrow for a sleepover?”
“Maybe,” his dad said, finally settling on the news channel.
“His mom will pick us up from school and drop me off, so you don't have to drive me,” Ray added, hoping to seal the deal.
“Okay, sure, but go do your homework,” his dad replied without looking away from the broadcast.
Ray got up with his sketchbook and made his way back to his room. As he reached for the doorknob, his eyes focused on the ever-peculiar black door with the gold handle at the end of the hall as a newfound suspicion crept into his thoughts. If Cameron could be involved with the Omen Rose, was his dad also? Why, after all, did they decide to uproot their entire lives to move to this place after Cameron contacted them? With a shaky breath, he pushed his bedroom door open and stepped inside.
Ash, sensing his presence from the foot of his bed, sat up and yawned. Ray crossed the room, the floorboards creaking softly under his weight, and sat down beside him. He reached out, running a gentle hand over the cat’s soft black fur. The rhythmic purring instantly soothed the edges of his anxiety.
“Hey, buddy,” he murmured, “I need your advice.” Ash’s ears twitched with interest, but he remained poised, almost as if considering the request. He looked up at the ceiling. “You’ve always had better instincts about people than I do. Do you think we can trust Cameron?”
After a brief pause, Ash rolled onto his back, exposing his belly. Ray took the invitation and gently rubbed the soft fur. Ash simply purred louder, a comforting sound in the quiet room.
“I mean, we came all this way because of him,” Ray continued, his voice a hushed whisper as if the walls themselves might be listening. “But now, with all this Omen Rose crud…” He trailed off, glancing back at the hall, the image of the black door etched into his thoughts. A round of laughter came from the TV in the other room.
The cat stretched languidly, flexing his claws before sitting up to meet Ray’s gaze with those penetrating green eyes. Ray took a deep breath, trying to let the calmness of Ash’s presence anchor him. “I dunno, Ash. It creeps me out how he doesn’t want me to tell anyone. Almost like it’d get him in trouble.” He sighed. “I trust you, though. I’ll just… keep an eye on things. That’s what you’d do, right?”
Ash bumped his head against Ray’s hand in a gesture that felt strangely like agreement. Reassured, if only slightly, Ray allowed himself to smile as he scooped Ash up and settled onto his bed, the cat nestling into the crook of his arm.
Ray rounded the corner and there, at the water fountain, was Elijah—hunched over and taking hurried gulps of water. His shoulders relaxed as a rush of relief surged through him. For a moment, he couldn’t believe his eyes. There was Elijah, physically present and seemingly unharmed, almost like nothing had ever happened.
“Hey! You’re okay!” Ray shouted, relief pitching his voice higher as he walked over. “What happened? Where did they take you?”
Elijah froze, water still dribbling from the corner of his mouth. Slowly, he lifted his head, his cold, unreadable eyes locking with Ray’s. Then, wordlessly, he turned and began walking away. A sinking feeling gripped Ray. Was he mad at Ray? What had those awful men done to him? Guilt washed over him, its cold wave reminding him of his first interaction with Elijah.
Ray jogged to catch up to him. “Ummm… hello?”
Elijah stopped but didn’t turn around. “Go. Away,” he said, his voice icy and detached.
Ray’s footsteps slowed to a halt, his eyes lingering on Elijah’s retreating form and his worn green backpack that swayed with each step. Once again, he was faced with the question: Now what? Lucas, who normally couldn’t stop talking, had been unusually quiet on the bus, neither of them bringing up the event that took place behind the school. Jonah never answered his phone, and worst of all, he wasn’t sure if he could trust Cameron anymore. Each sign seemed to point away, and yet the more he pursued the mysterious Omen Rose, the more he felt himself entangled in a web too intricate to escape. He stood there, rooted in indecision, when he heard Nico’s voice.
“What was that about?” Nico asked, jutting his thumb back toward Elijah. “Are you guys still up to secret stuff without us?” he asked, a broad grin spreading across his face.
Caught off guard, Ray fumbled for a moment before responding, “Oh, no, just… science stuff.”
“Biology, huh?” he said, his grin growing even wider. “Speaking of which, did you ask your parents if you could come tonight?”
“Oh. Yeah, I can,” Ray said, gesturing to his overstuffed backpack. “I got my pajamas; that’s why it looks like it’s about to explode.”
Nico chuckled, shaking his head. “Where we’re going, you won’t need those!” he said with a smirk.
“Yeah, I just thought it would be better than having to borrow some,” Ray said with an innocent smile.
Nico giggled and playfully tousled Ray's hair. “This is why you’re the best. See ya at lunch!” he said, skipping off with his usual seemingly endless energy.
When lunchtime rolled around, Lucas seemed to have slipped back into his usual upbeat demeanor, yet their clash with the Omen Rose remained an unspoken shadow. Ray even wondered if he had already forgotten about it. The rest of school unfolded without incident—note taking and bell ringing until the final bell rang out its promise of freedom. The car ride to Nico’s surpassed even the volume level of the school bus, with Lucas and Nico shouting over each other. In the back, Finn and Ray sought refuge in Ray’s sketchbook as Ray showed him some of his latest Mr. Strawberry comics.
Ray’s eyes widened as they pulled into the quiet cul-de-sac. Nico’s two-story house towered over his own modest home, with a gorgeous modern patio and well-manicured yard. The whole street seemed to radiate a sense of safety and comfort that simply wasn’t present in his own neighborhood; no trash on the sidewalks or hobos walking around.
The rest of the afternoon waned as the boys climbed trees and played street soccer, the patio’s wind chime singing along with their laughter and shouts. When the sun began to dip, casting long shadows across the pavement, the call for dinner from Nico’s mom beckoned them inside. They scrambled through the front door, the sound of their bare feet slapping against the tiles of the entryway.
Seated at the dinner table, Ray sprinkled a little more shredded cheese into his taco. “Dinner’s really good, Ms. Florakis,” he said. The cheese had a distinct yet agreeable flavor—certainly not what he was used to, but enjoyable nonetheless.
“Thank you, Ray. It’s actually Mrs.,” Nico’s mom said, setting down her wine glass and smiling. “Well, actually, call me Grace, alright?”
Sitting beside her, Lucas spoke through a mouthful of taco. “Damn, what’s even in these?” he mumbled, still chewing.
“A little bit of sweet potatoes, black beans, avocado…” Grace said.
Finn’s eyes lit up as he swallowed another bite. “It is the best American food I have eaten!” he declared.
“If you can call it that,” Grace said with a chuckle. “You’re from Sweden, aren’t you?”
Finn nodded. “Yes, how did you know?” he asked in his fairly obvious Scandinavian accent. “I am from Lund. I moved here only a few years ago.”
“I bet Lund is beautiful, especially in the winter. Nico and I also come from a snowy place. Nothing like here, eh? Great English, by the way. You’re a natural.”
Finn smiled, touched by the compliment. “Thank you, er, Grace,” he said, picking up his taco.
“And I love your fingernails,” she continued, her eyes focused on his small hands. “Did you do them yourself?”
Finn looked down at his blue nails. “Yes, I did.”
“They’re very pretty.”
Finn gave a half-smile. “I think they’re cool.”
“Nah, they’re pretty,” Lucas chimed in.
“Oh, quiet,” Finn retorted, rolling his eyes. “You are a bully.”
Grace laughed at them and turned her attention to Ray at the other end of the table. “Ray.”
“Huh?” Ray blinked.
“Nico said you’re the new kid. So, what’s the story, crappy old school, or just new in town?”
“Oh, I… yeah, I moved here over the summer. From Canada.” Ray found Grace’s distinctive manner of speech curiously similar to Nico’s.
“You have such wonderful, flowing hair. Very handsome,” she said.
A flush of color lit up Ray’s cheeks. “Thank you.”
Nico edged closer, his voice rising above the conversation. “What about me, Mom?” he asked, eyes sparkling as he searched for her gaze.
“Yeah, you too, kid,” she said, patting his neck.
“I’m handsome too, you know!” Lucas exclaimed, puffing up his chest. “Even after gym, unlike Nico, who sweats like a pig on a fuckin’ treadmill!” he shouted, then gasped. “Sorry, Grace.”
Grace chuckled, then cleared her throat. “You are all very cute, handsome, attractive boys,” she said, ruffling Lucas’s hair.
“Yay!” he cheered before chomping into his taco.
“I’m always happy to have you over, my little hungry ghosts.”
Bare soles grazed the rough shingles as the boys emerged onto the rooftop through Nico’s bedroom window. Their silhouettes were framed by the twilight sky, their faces illuminated by the fading light.
“Isn’t this dangerous?” Finn asked, peering over the edge at the patio below.
Nico shrugged at him, walking backward with a grin. “I come up here all the time and I only fell off twice!”
The boys followed him to the opposite side of the roof. From their elevated vantage point, they had a panoramic view of the lush, expansive backyard. A winding tile pathway segmented the carpet of green grass and seemed to disappear into a secluded grove of trees at the back.
“Where does that go?” Ray asked, his eyes tracing the pathway.
Nico leaned against the roof’s edge, looking down. “Into the forest. If you follow it far enough, you’ll get to the river!”
“Oooh,” Lucas cooed. “That sounds fun! We should go swimming!”
Ray’s stomach knotted at the mention of swimming, but he forced a smile. Grace’s voice suddenly came from the yard below, startling the boys. They shuffled closer to the edge and spotted her long sandy blonde hair—much like Nico’s—standing in the yard.
“Hey, guys!” she called out. “Don’t fall from up there, okay? I’d have to sell the house to cover the lawsuit!”
“Okay, Mom, we’ll be safe!” Nico hollered back, his voice disproportionately loud for the short distance between them, causing Ray to wince.
“I can grab my nail painting kit if you guys need something to do,” she offered.
Finn’s eyes lit up. “Yes, please!”
“Or we could go swimming!” Nico teased.
Lucas cheered and did a little hop, drawing frowns from Ray and Grace. “I may not have a bathing suit, but sign me the fuck up!”
“I think nail painting sounds fun,” Ray said, his voice unconvincing. “It’s sort of like coloring….”
“Really? Okay,” Lucas said, turning to the other boys, “who actually wants to paint nails?” Ray and Finn raised their hands, and Lucas scoffed at them. “Fuck you, Finn, your nails are already plenty painted!”
“Yes, and swimming will mess them up,” Finn shot back.
“God, you’re literally my sisters. You can sit your ass down on a rock while the rest of us have fun!”
“No!” Nico shouted. “We need to include everyone. Come on.” He didn’t wait for a response before cutting across the roof.
Back in Nico’s room, Grace was already unpacking her nail painting kit on the bed. The kit was a dazzling rainbow of shades, neatly arranged in small bottles, complete with tiny brushes and an array of decals. Ray blinked in disbelief, thinking it looked more like something a teenage girl would own rather than a middle-aged mom.
“I’m off to bed, kids,” Grace announced, yawning as she stretched her arms in the air. ”Feel free to be as loud as you want; see if I care,” she said, waving her hand dismissively as she exited the room.
“Night, Mom!” Nico called out, followed by goodnights from the other boys. After she was gone, Nico snatched a bottle of red polish while Lucas opted for yellow to match his shirt. “Do me!” he demanded, thrusting it toward Lucas, who took the bottle from him.
“Mmm, sassy…”
Nico’s eyes narrowed with skepticism and amusement as he observed Lucas grapple with the bottle’s cap. “Do you even know what you're doing?”
Lucas gripped his hand, brush poised over his fingers. “No! You?”
“Nope! I thought you had sisters.”
“Yeah, but they’re fucking annoying.”
Finn stepped forward with an air of quiet confidence. “Come, I will show you how it’s done,” he said to them. He turned to Ray and asked, “What color?”
Ray hesitated and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. “Um, I’m not sure I should,” he said. “My parents will probably get mad if I do it.”
Lucas groaned. “Seriously, Ray?! You raised your hand for this!”
His accusation hung in the air, and Ray knew he was right. Not wanting to be left out, he took a shaky breath. “Er, okay, I guess. We can do it,” he finally said.
“Why not blue?” Finn suggested. He reached out, his fingers grazing the fabric of Ray’s hoodie. “You seem to like it,” he added with an encouraging smile.
Ray remained silent, and Finn expertly twisted off the cap of light blue polish. With a gentle but firm grip, Finn took hold of Ray’s wrist, his touch reassuringly soft and tender. He applied the polish with slow and deliberate strokes, painting from base to tip in a single, fluid motion as he described his technique to the others. Sinking to the floor, Ray felt a sense of pride at his new, colorful nails, but also a gnawing dread of the upcoming disapproval of his parents.
Nico perched on the edge of the bed, and Lucas crouched beside him. Carefully, Lucas began applying the red polish to Nico’s fingernails, going from base to tip as Finn had said.
“Do my toes, too,” Nico said when he’d finished.
“Seriously?” Lucas huffed before crouching back down beside him.
Finn suppressed a smirk at them and decided to freshen up his own set, leaving Ray to watch the toe-painting operation more attentively. Lucas started with his big toe, perfectly applying the paint in one swift movement. Nico giggled, squirming and pulling his leg back.
“Stop moving,” Lucas said, focused intently. He tried again, but Nico again burst into laughter. “Oh man, don’t tell me you got ticklish feet,” he warned. “I’ll ruin you.”
“Don’t!” Nico cried, trying to pull away, but Lucas grabbed his leg. Instead of tickling him, though, he started kneading the soles of Nico’s foot. Nico relaxed, his laughter subsiding as he sank into the unexpected but welcome sensation. “Nevermind, let’s go…”
Lucas grinned and continued massaging, as Nico sank back into the bed. From his spot on the floor, Ray was able to see his tan line up his shorts, like that one time in gym class.
“Mmm, yeah…” Nico sighed.
Lucas rubbed all the way up his leg, his hand traveling up the soft nylon of his gym shorts until he found the bulge and squeezed it. “You’re so fucking hard right now,” he said with a smirk.
Nico pushed his foot forward into Lucas’s stiff bulge. “So are you.”
Finn had abandoned his nails, and both he and Ray watched quietly.
“Hey!” Lucas shouted, swatting his foot away. “Don’t you dare get nail polish on me. Mom will murder me!”
Nico grinned and sprang toward Lucas, knocking him over. They tumbled across the carpet in a whirlwind of limbs punctuated by Nico’s squeals of laughter and Lucas’s playful shouts.
“Nooo! My shirt!” Lucas cried, eyeing the fresh red streaks that marred his shirt, creating an eerie illusion of bloodstains. They rolled around in a brief tussle until Lucas managed to pin Nico down, sitting across his legs and holding his wrists to the floor. Both boys paused, their chests heaving as they tried to catch their breaths. Despite the panting, wide, naughty smiles spread across their faces. Lucas then grabbed the bottom of Nico’s shirt and tugged upward. Nico struggled but was no match for Lucas. His shirt hiked up his body, revealing his tan belly, small nipples, and boyish shoulders, until Lucas pulled it up and over his head, spinning it in circles like helicopter blades, and tossed it away.
“Alright, Finn,” Lucas began, catching his breath, a sly smile forming. “It’s time to learn a thing or two like I promised. Ray, get his hands!”
Finn watched with eyes wide as saucers as Ray hustled over to secure Nico’s wrists. Nico squealed as Ray grabbed him, and Ray felt awkward about holding the squirming half-naked preteen against his will—in fact, the memory of Griffin restraining him came rushing back. He felt a tightness in his chest as his thoughts moved to the lake and the horrible chill of the water.
Lucas hooked his thumbs under the waistband of Nico’s shorts as his eyes locked with Lucas’s, a mischievous glint playing behind the widened, feigned fear. As Lucas shucked down his shorts, Ray could confirm that Nico was as “fucking hard” as Lucas said he was, as his boner popped into the center of everyone’s view. The corners of Nico’s mouth twitched upwards, breaking into a knowing smirk as his erection throbbed before his friends.
“Watch closely, Finny,” Lucas beckoned, “it’s time for your lesson.”
Nico’s boner twitched as Lucas wrapped his fingers around it, his nails bright and yellow.
“So, you probably do it like this,” Lucas said, pulling on the shaft. Nico moaned and shut his eyes. “But if you play with these bad boys at the same time,” he said, his hands cupping the loose skin of Nico’s balls, “it’ll feel even better.” He rolled Nico’s testicles around in their sack, forcing a groan from him as a clear drop of fluid emerged from the tip of his penis.
“Play with the balls,” Finn repeated, his voice flat and his attention focused.
“Yup, see this?” Lucas pulled down on the skin of Nico’s shaft until his foreskin retracted, uncovering the round and pink bulb. He prodded at the precum that flowed from the slit, drawing a whimper from Nico. “Since this is usually covered up, it’s the most tender part, so we have to give it the most love and attention.”
Lucas brought his face close to the pink flesh and cleared his throat. Ray and Finn observed in a trance as Lucas extended his tongue and boldly swept it across Nico’s leaky dickhead. Nico cried out in pleasure as every single nerve lit up under Lucas’s tongue, his fists balling up under Ray’s grip. He tried kicking his legs, but Lucas had them firmly pinned beneath him.
“Ahhh! Stop, stop!” Nico pleaded, but Lucas responded by flicking his tongue at it. “Hahhh!” He gasped, his eyes snapping open. “I’m cumming!”
“Don’t you fucking dare!” Lucas said, covering his flaring glans with his palm. “Class is still in session!”
Finn watched unashamedly, while Ray leaned forward to cover his tented shorts. Why was he getting hard from this? Was this how Griffin and Paris felt when they were messing with him that night?
Lucas swirled his tongue all around Nico’s cockhead like a Blow Pop, while Nico’s eyes fluttered upward, momentarily losing focus. He let go of Nico’s ballsack and traced his thumb along his perineum, dipping into his crack and tapping against his small opening, rubbing the squishy flesh and drawing an animalistic moan out of Nico.
Finn clapped his hands on his knees. “Okay,” he announced, “it looks fun. I want to try.” He stood up and shucked his pants to the floor, stepping out of them, left in a skimpy pair of white bikini briefs against his milky white hips. Shamelessly, he pushed them down as well, and his three-and-a-half-inch milky white erection popped out at a ninety-degree angle under his shirt.
“Let’s get it,” Lucas sang as left Nico for Finn, removing and tossing his shirt away.
“Hey, wait!” Nico’s voice was desperate, his words stretching out as he reached for Lucas. “What about me?” He peered up at Ray, his gaze prompting a sudden awareness in Ray. Realizing he was still holding Nico’s wrists, Ray quickly released them, embarrassment coloring his cheeks “Help me cum? Please?” he asked with a childlike innocence, his eyes wide and hopeful as they gestured to his penis, its tip shimmering almost enticingly with precum and saliva.
Ray swallowed hard, the action more difficult than usual. Why couldn’t he just fit in and enjoy this like everyone else seemed to? Biting his lip to calm his nerves, he slowly reached his hand out towards Nico’s stiff pole. His fingers wrapped around it, the warmth apparent in his palm, like gripping a hot dog. Instinctively, Nico pushed his hips against Ray’s hand, the same way Ash did when he wanted to be pet. It was hard not to imagine himself in the same position as Nico, only at the lake dock, while Paris roughly fondled him. The memory made him slightly nauseous.
Finn held his shirt up while Lucas tickled the bottom of his small weiner with his fingertip.
“Ready?” Lucas asked.
“Yes,” Finn said, his voice lifting with a mild, curious excitement.
Lucas slipped his lips around Finn’s dick, stroking it from base to tip. Finn made no reaction, so he tried another pass, this time with more suction and corkscrewing his tongue along the end of it. That worked better, as Finn’s fingers curled into a gentle clench. He grabbed the backs of Finn’s legs and bobbed his head, working his boner with purpose.
“Ah, it tickles,” Finn said.
A soprano moan from Nico grabbed Lucas’s attention, and he turned his head to find Ray jerking him off, a faraway look in his eyes. Ray was supposed to be his, but there he was with Nico, who looked like he was in heaven, his smile dancing as he writhed under Ray’s grasp. The sight made him want to grind his teeth, but he knew for Finn’s sake he better not.
“Oh ya, that feels so amazing,” Finn whispered, but Lucas popped his mouth off of him.
“One second,” Lucas said, standing up and wiping his mouth as he approached them.
Nico noticed him approaching, but before he could say anything, Ray lurched to his feet, his breathing coming in labored gasps, and stumbled towards the door. His movements were hurried, almost frantic, like he couldn’t figure out what to do with himself. “I can’t do this!”
Lucas stood there frozen, taken aback by Ray’s sudden outburst. “Wait...” Ray opened the door and disappeared into the hall, and Lucas turned back to the other two. “What the hell?”
“It looks like he needs a moment,” Finn said, his expression softening with worry. “Eh, maybe he did not want to do this with us.”
“What did you do to him?” Lucas turned to shout at Nico.
Nico propped himself up on his elbows. “I didn’t do anything! He was fine until you came over.”
“I’ll check on him,” Lucas grumbled, and started toward the door.
“Wait! Someone seriously needs to jack me off or my balls are going to explode!” Nico said, staring at Lucas expectantly.
“But—” Lucas looked between Nico’s glimmering penis and the door.
“It is okay. Go to him,” Finn said. “It is your chance,” he whispered.
Nico’s face lit up as he and Finn locked eyes. “On the bed!” he commanded.
Finn leaped onto the bed, removing his shirt, while Lucas rushed out into the hall after Ray.
“Sixty-nine!” Nico exclaimed, hopping up next to Finn.
Finn sat up on his elbows. “Why so many?”
Nico grinned and rubbed his hands together. “Oh, you’re gonna love this!”
He jumped on the bed and positioned himself upside-down over Finn, his boner dancing inches above his face. Finn gasped as Nico took him in his mouth and expertly snaked his tongue all around his shaft. He grabbed Nico’s penis to steady it and—tentatively—stretched out his tongue to give it a lick. There wasn’t much of a taste to it, except maybe the slightest hint of sweat. He held Nico’s balls and fed his penis the rest of the way into his mouth, feeling the engorged head pass his lips.
The warm and welcoming feeling of Finn’s mouth echoed the many times his boyfriend Logan had sucked him off. He was immediately brought back to the day when Logan blew him for the first time in that very same bed. It was the middle of a storm, and his cum was so powerful that it knocked him out. He shuddered and tensed at the thought, and Finn felt something slimy squirt onto his tongue.
“Mmmph!” Finn turned his head in surprise, inadvertently scraping his teeth against Nico’s shaft.
“Ahhh!” Nico rolled off of him, breaking the sixty-nine and he grabbed his aching penis.
“Sorry! You squirted something,” Finn said, smacking his lips and swirling the flavor in his mouth. “It is not piss. Is it sperms?”
“No,” Nico said, rubbing the pain away with his thumb, “it’s like my pre-sperms.” He rolled back into position. “Don’t use your teeth. Use your tongue. Lick my cock,” he said before diving back onto Finn’s dick.
Finn listened to his advice and used his tongue to slather the hot flesh. He was rewarded with even more of the honey-like substance.
“Mmmmmm,” Nico groaned. “Can you also play with my balls? Or my ass? Please?”
Finn cupped his balls and rolled them around while swirling his tongue around Nico’s tip, tasting more of the slimy precum. Nico moaned and thrust his hips, sliding himself in and out of Finn’s lips while Finn lapped at the head with his tongue.
Nico, attempting to reciprocate Finn’s efforts, used his tongue to knock at his little spout of foreskin. It was tight, but he wanted in; he knew Finn would love it. He fondled Finn’s small and pleasantly smooth ballsack, hoping the added stimulation would somehow aid his quest. His tongue probed and probed until it gave Finn’s glans the lightest little lick.
Finn whimpered loudly—whatever Nico just did, he needed more. Right as the irresistible craving surged within him, Nico’s tongue broke through the boundary and showered his tender tip in rapid, unrelenting licks. He almost screamed as intense blasts of pleasure rushed straight from his cock to his brain, but his mouth only muffled moans that further stimulated Nico—a feedback loop that kept both boys locked in euphoric bliss.
Nico could feel Finn growing taut, and placed his hands on his ass, spreading his cheeks apart, his fingers grazing the boy’s butthole. The feeling was electric, rushing straight from Finn’s ass directly to his dick where it culminated—and burst.
Finn’s hips lifted off the bed to bury his dick in Nico’s warm mouth. Nico felt Finn’s dick shudder, pulse, and throb. This time, he did yell, vocalizing his pleasure in a half-scream, half-whimper. Nico held onto him tightly with his lips, guiding the Swedish boy through the absolute best orgasm of his young life until the delightful feeling reached its climax, and he went limp. Nico caressed the drained worm with his tongue one last time before letting it slide out of his mouth.
Nico was surprised when Finn immediately took him back in his mouth and grinned at the great work he knew he’d done. He snuggled his head into Finn’s thighs, breathing in his scent, and began thrusting into his mouth. His nuts slapped against his nose, but Finn didn’t mind; he had one goal, and that was to give Nico the best orgasm ever, just like he’d done for Finn.
Remembering Nico’s guidance, he used his tongue to swipe at the engorged head of Nico’s cock, sending intense surges of euphoria straight to Nico’s brain. He let it slip from his mouth and switched to his balls, lapping sloppily at the testicles that dangled freely in their hanging bag. Nico groaned and his cock throbbed, releasing a dribble of precum that ran down his shaft. To his even greater surprise, Finn reached around to grab his ass cheeks and spread them apart.
“Ohhh yeah,” Nico moaned. His dick was ready to blow, twitching in the air, desperate for one last ounce of stimulation.
As Finn took it back into his mouth, Nico sucked in air and pushed his cock to the back of Finn’s throat. It pulsated, throbbed, and shot a strong volley of warm semen into Finn’s mouth. Finn gagged, not expecting such volume, and tried to push Nico off of him. His boner slipped from Finn’s mouth but continued to throb and spurt out blasts of sticky, clear cum that splattered on Finn’s cheek, chin, and neck.
“Uhhhhh,” Nico moaned, his voice filled with unmistakable glee as his hand grabbed his penis and jerked it, several more jets shooting out of him.
“Wow,” Finn said, smacking his lips. “It tastes weird.”
Nico rolled onto his back, breathing heavily. “That was sooo good! You’re a beast blowjobber!”
Finn smiled. “Who knew a mouth could feel so good? Lucas was right, this is so much better than a stupid hand! Now what?”
Nico cocked an eyebrow as a sly smirk formed on his mouth.
“Ray! Come back! Where are you going?!” Lucas, his chest bare, stood by the door, his voice traveling down the hall.
Ray descended the staircase, shoulders hunched. “I don’t know,” he murmured, almost to himself.
Lucas trailed behind, concern tugging at his lips while he caught up to him. “Ray, we’re missing out on the fun!”
Ray sat on the couch and covered his face, stomach churning, his breathing rapid. Lucas sat beside him, leaving barely any space between them.
“Dude, you gotta tell me what’s up,” Lucas said, his voice softer.
Ray knew he should say something, but the words wouldn’t come. He wrung his hands together, his heart pounding in his chest. Then he sighed and spoke, his voice trembling slightly. “You know how I did that stuff with Paris and Griffin at camp?”
“Uh, yeah,” Lucas said. “Super jelly.”
“Well, it wasn’t really… good. They kinda made me do… everything that happened. I didn’t want to.” He hesitated for a moment. “Then, Paris just chucked my pajamas in the lake! I had to jump in or I was screwed! It—it was horrible!”
Lucas inched closer until their legs were touching. “Um… damn, that sucks? That’s pretty douchey.”
Ray could tell Lucas didn’t get it and felt the urge to tell him about his fear of water, but ultimately decided against it. “I know, it’s not completely that. But what we were doing just… it reminded me of that night and I just sorta freaked out. It’s hard to explain. I’m a loser.” He looked down at his feet. “And I feel like I don’t belong here. Here, like, not Nico’s house, but Clearwater,” he clarified. “This isn’t home.”
Lucas sighed, peering at the ground. “Aw, damn, Ray. You’re not a loser. We’re so glad we’re friends with you, especially me. I really think you’re the coolest one out of all of us.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do! Ever since I first saw you. And look, I get it. I’ve been there, too. It’s not completely the same, but like… okay, so, I'm the only guy in my family. Sometimes I feel really out of place with all these crazy females.” He glanced at Ray, who was still staring at the ground. “I fight with my sisters a lot. When I was nine, I tried running away, because I was sick of them. I went to the beach. My friend Landon was there with his little brother, and I asked if his family could adopt me,” he said, grinning at the recollection. “It’d be so awesome having brothers instead. But they couldn’t,” he said flatly. “So you know what happened?”
Ray looked at him with big eyes. “What?”
“I went back home and I went to my room and I locked the door. I stopped caring about trying to fit in with them and instead focused on being who I am. Lucas. The most radiant bitch in the whole house,” he said, flapping his hand.
Ray sniffled and cracked a small smile.
“Trust me,” Lucas said, “your family can’t be worse than mine.”
“Well, actually,” Ray said, looking away, “I think they might be.”
It was Lucas’s turn to stare at him. “Yeah right. How?”
“I think they’re part of the Omen Rose. My uncle, my dad…”
Lucas took Ray’s hands and gripped them tightly. “Are you serious? Dude, no matter what happens, I’ll protect you from those Omen Rose douchebags. They won’t scare you like that again.” He growled. “It pisses me off what they did. If your family turns out to be part of that, screw ‘em! Maybe we can adopt you! Actually, like, for real! You can be my brother!”
Ray shook his head. “No, ‘cause then they’ll be mad at you, but I’m the one who got into this mess, and I dragged you in too. It’s not fair to you.”
Lucas rolled his eyes. “Do you wanna know why I would protect you from anything, Ray?”
“Why?”
“Because I like you.”
“Huh—”
Lucas broke eye contact for a moment, scanning his surroundings, before locking back onto Ray’s blue eyes. He leaned forward, slowly then quickly, and pushed his lips against Ray’s. Ray’s eyes widened, but he remained frozen. As Lucas broke off and pulled away, he watched Ray intently for any sign of reaction but was caught off guard by the sound of the kitchen’s sliding door opening. They flew apart, their hands disentangling.
Grace stepped through the door in a pink bathrobe, its sash tied loosely around her waist. Her eyes locked onto theirs as she entered the living room, wine glass in hand. The atmosphere grew tenser with each step. She reached the couch and sat down next to them without a word. Crossing her legs, she took a sip of wine and continued to regard them with an unreadable expression.
“Um… hi?” Lucas said, his tone hinting at his annoyance.
“Hey,” she began, hesitation audible in her voice. She sighed, a crease of concern forming in her brow. “Sorry to slide in, I just overheard you guys mention something that, well, made me a little worried.” Ray stiffened and his pulse quickened, wondering how much she had heard. “The Omen Rose,” she clarified, sensing his discomfort.
At those words, Ray felt an urge to groan. Nico’s mom was the latest in the growing list of adults who seemed to know about the Omen Rose.
“You know about it?” Lucas exclaimed, leaning forward. “Are you in it, too?”
“No, no,” she said, waving her hands, “not at all.” She turned to face Ray, her expression shifting to a serious one. “Ray, why did you say your family was involved? It’s important that you keep a safe distance from those people.”
Ray hesitated and glanced at Lucas as he considered how much to tell her. “Well, it’s sort of a long story,” he began tentatively. “Me and Lucas met these bad guys yesterday, but my uncle seems to know about it all and was being super secretive, and it turns out my dad always hires one of the guys to do crud.”
“Hires?”
“He’s a handyman or something.”
“What’s his name?”
“Um, apparently it’s ‘Terry’.”
She smiled knowingly. “Yep, I thought so.”
“Have you met him?” Lucas asked.
“Boy, have I. Please, please, stay away from that man. Does Nico know what’s going on?”
“Uh, I don’t think so,” Lucas said. “What is going on? What is the Omen Rose?”
Grace leaned forward, making eye contact with Lucas. “It’s a bunch of wealthy assholes who think they can do whatever they want and get away with it. Trust me, you don’t want to get mixed up in that. The whole thing’s bad news.” She paused and scooted closer to them, placing a reassuring hand on Ray’s shoulder. “If anything ever comes up, or if you hear something that worries you, know that you can come straight to me. I’ve got your backs, okay? I’m on your team.”
“I still don’t get it,” Ray said.
“Yeah, like, who are they?” Lucas asked. “We know kids who are in it, so it can’t just be a bunch of rich dudes!”
“Oh, brother,” Grace said with a sigh. “Look, I hate to say it, but the less you know, the better. I’m serious. It’s not a fun little mystery, it’s real shit. I don’t know how you got tangled up in this, but if anything gets out of hand, mi casa, su casa. Got it?”
“Me what?” Lucas asked, scratching his head.
Grace opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a boyish moan and shout that came from upstairs, and grinned. “Uh oh, battle call. Better get your butts back upstairs. Those two are definitely missing you,” she said as she stood up.
Ray’s cheeks flushed red. If only she knew what was going on, he thought. “Wait, but, who’s Terry, and why does he keep showing up? Is he the leader?” he asked.
Grace stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “Like I said, the less you know.” Her departure was punctuated by the sound of her footsteps climbing the staircase.
“Huh, that was weird,” Lucas said after he heard the door close. “Who knew Nico’s mom would know anything about this shit?”
“It’s scary that she’s afraid of them, and she’s a grown-up.”
“Yeah,” Lucas agreed, his voice trailing off.
“Lucas,” Ray said, pausing as he bit his lip. “Why did you kiss me?”
Lucas scoffed. “Because you’re cute!” he blurted out as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“I’m not cute,” Ray said, but Lucas shook his head.
“You are! Look at yourself!” he shouted, spreading his hands as if to showcase him.
“How am I supposed to do that?” Ray shot back.
“We’ll get you a mirror,” Lucas sighed. “So, did you like it? Do you like me back?” he asked hopefully.
Ray shuffled uncomfortably. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Hm. Okay, good enough for me,” he said, his expression unreadable. “Does that mean you’re feeling better now?”
“I guess.” It was nice that they could rely on Grace, but there was no way he was stopping his investigation.
“Then let’s go back!”
“Okay, but—”
Lucas grabbed his wrist and wrangled him up the stairs. As they barged into the bedroom, the first thing they saw was Nico’s skinny butt standing in front of the bed straddling Finn, who was on his hands and knees on the bed with his ass out. As they walked in, Finn’s head snapped to the door, his eyes filled with terror.
“Oh, jeez,” Ray said, covering his eyes while Lucas erupted into laughter.
“Down boy!” Lucas exclaimed, his laughter punctuated by a knee slap.
Finn dove forward to grab a pillow to cover himself, then pivoted to the door. “Shit, I thought that was your mother,” he said, visibly relieved.
“Mom wouldn’t care,” Nico assured him, climbing back onto him. “Can you grab my sex box, Lucas? Finn’s way too tight.”
Finn sat up. “Is that good or bad?”
“Sex box?” Lucas asked, arching his eyebrow.
“Yep, it should be in the closet.”
“Aight,” Lucas said and wandered over to the closet. He slid open the door, and sure enough, there was a small wooden chest about the size of a shoebox right by his feet. “This better not give me a disease,” he said, lifting and opening it as Ray joined him with curious eyes. “Holy fuck.”
Inside was an assortment of vaguely dick-shaped objects, all kinds of colors and sizes. The smell of plastic and hand sanitizer caused them to crinkle their noses. Ray picked up one of the objects, its shape reminding him of Paris’s Ring Pop.
“Where did you… how did you…” Lucas stammered, rifling through the countless sex toys in utter disbelief. “There’s so many! This is so cool!”
“They’re gifts,” Nico clarified, rubbing the head of his penis against Finn’s buttcrack. “I just want the lube. Can you get it?”
“What are they?” Ray asked Lucas.
“Like dildos and buttplugs and stuff!” Lucas replied, his eyes wide. Ray furrowed his brow. “You know, stuff to put in your ass!”
“Ew. Why?”
“Because it feels good! Haven’t you ever fingered yourself?” Ray shook his head. Lucas sighed. “We are gonna go over that. Later.” He grabbed the small bottle of lube and brought it over to Nico. “Here you are, sire.”
“Thank you, Lucas,” Nico said with a wink. He poured some of the syrupy lube onto his fingers, then clicked the bottle shut and handed it back to Lucas. “This should do it. Let’s try on your back.” Finn flipped over and he stuck his hand in Finn’s crack, lathering the area around his butthole.
“Ah! Cold! Cold!”
“Don’t you worry, things are about to heat up,” Lucas said with a smile.
Ray winced as Nico pushed the tip of his finger inside Finn’s ass, and Finn yelped. “Ah, knull! It’s strange!”
“I’m barely in,” Nico said as he gripped Finn’s thigh as he dug in a little further, his tongue poking out of his mouth as if he were searching for something in his backpack.
“Augh!” Finn shuddered as Nico’s knuckle bottomed out. “It is uncomfortable,” he said with a pained expression in his eyes.
“It gets better. I swear!” Nico pulled his finger out to the tip and then pushed it back, feeling Finn’s anus sucking him in. He continued this for several minutes until Finn became used to it and relaxed, his hole loosening around Nico’s finger. “How’s it now?”
“Better. But isn’t it supposed to feel good? I do not feel a lot.”
“Um, it will get good when I put it in. Ready?” he asked, lining up his penis.
“Not really, but you’re going to do it.”
Nico let out a war cry and plunged forward. His penis strained against the soft ring of Finn’s anus for a second before it gave way and popped inside.
Time seemed to stand still, and it took Finn several seconds before the pain registered and he jammed his eyes shut. “A–augh!” he cried.
“Holy shit, is it in?” Lucas asked, watching from the side of the bed.
“Just the tip,” Nico gasped and felt Finn tense around him in response.
“Maybe I change my mind,” Finn said meekly, his face contorted in pain.
Nico shook his head, intensifying the already spinning sensation inside. If that was just the tip, he needed to know what the whole thing felt like. “No! It’ll get way better, I swear! Just give it one second! I’ll do it less hard,” he pleaded.
Finn sighed but didn’t respond.
Nico shook his head. “We have to do it,” he almost whimpered, then took a breath. “You’ll love it, I swear!” Both boys remained still, the room filled with their heavy breaths. Nearly a minute passed before Nico choked out, “Ready?”
“Okay…” Finn relented, his expression clouded with self-disappointment. “But if it’s not good like you say, you have to do my weekend homework.”
The response satisfied Nico, and his face lit up with a delighted smile. Plunging forward, his shaft sunk deep into Finn until his pubis smacked against his butt. “Ahhh!”
Ray shielded his eyes, unable to comprehend why anyone would ever want to do something like that.
“It’s… so… tight,” Nico said between wheezes. “I… feel… everything!”
Finn slowly opened his eyes, his expression unreadable. “You said you wouldn’t do it so hard…”
Nico slowly pulled back, his dick sliding out with a pop. “Oops.” He lined back up and pushed back in, groaning. It was smoother but still lacked the seamless flow he was hoping for. “This is better than I thought!” He thrust into Finn two more times, each thrust eliciting a pained grunt from Finn.
“What’s it feel like?” Lucas asked, head propped on his elbows on the bed.
“Every time I go in it’s like sooo good,” Nico said, plugging in again with a little more force. “It’s so hot and slippery and amazing! Ohhh, Finn!”
“It sort of hurts,” Finn said, wincing.
“Take it like a man, dweeb,” Lucas said, hands on hips.
Finn rolled his eyes. As Nico got into the rhythm, a slapping sound filled the room, Finn’s soft little weiner jiggling along with the motion.
Ray glanced through his fingers at Lucas, who was watching attentively, one hand in his shorts with an obvious motion happening underneath. They locked eyes, and Lucas made his way over to him, throwing the hand that was in his shorts around Ray’s shoulder.
“Wanna play, too?” Lucas asked, tickling Ray’s bicep with a finger.
“Okay,” Ray replied, swallowing his apprehension.
Lucas slid his shorts and underwear down and kicked them away. His stiff penis bobbed in the air, its circumcised head drawing Ray’s eye. It was just like Paris’s, but he didn’t want to think about Paris. Lucas reached to pull Ray’s hoodie over his head, and tossed it into the corner, his shirt joining soon after. Left in just his cargo shorts, Ray felt his heartbeat quicken. Was he really about to do this?
Soft fingers wriggled their way into Ray’s waistband, lifting the corners of his briefs, and he gulped. Lucas cast a glance at him, his eyes narrowing slightly, posing the question of if he wanted to proceed. With a small hesitation, Ray nodded. In one swift motion, Lucas tugged the last of his clothes off.
Ray’s body was perfect. Not too skinny, but without any lingering baby fat. His penis, uncut and plump in its half-chub, was even larger than his own—just like Lucas suspected. He had to touch it, and his hand went straight for it, his finger wrapping around the soft skin. Ray went for Lucas’s, grabbing and holding around the base. In silent agreement, they began stroking each other.
Nico’s thrusting produced a rhythmic clap every time his and Finn’s bodies met, the entire length of his penis tingling with absolute ecstasy every time he plunged in and out. His teeth were bared in a snarl, and his eyelids twitched involuntarily.
Finn’s pain had begun to subside, and he wondered if his ass was just becoming numb, but it was starting to feel a little nice. Whatever was happening, at least it was better than the discomfort from before. His dick thrashed around like a fishing pole on the verge of a big catch, not hard nor soft, but in some kind of middle state.
“It’s a little better now,” Finn said, mostly to himself.
Beads of sweat slid down Nico’s neck as each thrust grew more strenuous. He could feel himself getting closer to that wonderful feeling, but boy was it exhausting work. His body seemed to demand all his energy, taking it and morphing it into raw pleasure, the electric feeling rippling across every point of his cock, his balls churning with sex. If only Logan were there to see him fucking for the first time; he’d be so proud. The thought prompted him to smile and plow Finn even harder.
The shift was immediately noticeable to Finn as Nico’s cockhead thudded against something inside him that made him gasp. It was like scratching an itch he never knew he even had. His penis instantaneously morphed into a full-fledged erection, pulsing in tune with Nico’s thrusts.
Even with the crazy show going down merely inches from him, Lucas found his eyes glued to Ray’s dick, particularly the fleshy red helmet that poked out of his foreskin. His penis was everything Lucas ever wanted, so it was only natural that it was attached to the most perfect boy in school. With Ray’s eyes closed, Lucas could observe the cute tug at his lips with every stroke of his cock.
Nico’s thrusts were growing more labored, but the fire inside him was burning like never before. It felt so good, he wanted to scream. His hand was nothing like this beautiful, warm tunnel that massaged and nurtured his cock. He could feel himself right at the edge, all he had to do was jump off and he would be rewarded mightily. Panting, he pulled himself most of the way out, then drilled as deep as he could into Finn. Squealing with delight, he emptied his quivering nuts into Finn’s ass, gritting his teeth as the explosive orgasm rocked him. Finn felt the sperm squirting into his body, unsure whether to feel grossed out or sexy.
Both of Nico’s heads felt like they were bursting. He held onto Finn’s thighs for his dear life, trying to stay conscious while the insane orgasm consumed him completely. Lucas watched the event unfold, his mouth agape, so stunned that he didn’t even notice his own orgasm as his cock pulsed in Ray’s hand, spewing a meager amount of cum onto his wrist. He pulled his hand away, and Lucas grunted, two more spurts shooting onto his thigh and the bed.
Ray watched him cum with a pang of envy in his chest. For months he’d watched his dick attentively during every orgasm in hopes of just one little drop, but Lucas could already shoot an entire load! Why was puberty so cruel?
Nico pulled out of Finn, his erection sliding out smoothly as several drops of clear juice dripped from it. He fell to the floor, where the friendly carpet caressed him. Lucas left Ray’s side to join him, spooning him from behind and savoring the warmth.
“That was fucking hot,” Lucas said softly. “You showed that little jelly donut.”
Finn glared at him from the bed. “I do not like that nickname.”
“Are you okay?” Ray asked Finn, scooting closer to him on the bed. “It looked like it hurt you.”
“It actually felt very good, even if it hurt at first. I feel a little sore now, though,” he said, patting his butt. “Still, I think I would like to try it again.”
Lucas ground his hips, rubbing his dick against Nico’s crack. “Would you let me do that to you?”
“Of course! But later. I’m sooo tired!” Nico said, sprawling out on the floor and letting out a big sigh. “Nail painting is a lot of work!”
“Oh, shit,” Finn said, noticing a wet spot on the bed. “Your fucking sperms are leaking from my butt!”
Lucas stood up and laughed. “I knew you were a bedwetter!”
Nico crawled up to the bed and grabbed Finn’s ankles, pulling him to the edge of the bed, and started lapping at his crack, scooping up the leaking cum with his tongue.
“Oooh!” Finn gasped. “You are full of strange surprises!”
Ray’s face twisted into a disgusted grimace as he inched away from them. Lucas took the opportunity and slid into the space he’d created.
“Thanks for helping me out! Loved playing with your huge, awesome monster cock,” Lucas said with a wink.
“Er, thanks, but, well, it’s not that super big,” Ray said sheepishly, blushing and looking away. “But it did grow a lot over the summer.”
“You keepin’ track?” Lucas laughed.
“Actually, yeah,” Ray said, blushing again. “I’ve been recording it in my sketchbook. It grew a whole centimeter over the summer,” he said proudly.
“Wait, dope! Show me!”
“Oh, uh, okay,” Ray said. He got up to retrieve it from his backpack and rifled to the page in the back where he’d crudely traced his penis over the months, each with a date and measurement. Reluctantly, he passed it to Lucas, and stood shyly in front of him, twisting his foot into the carpet.
Lucas’s penis grew stiffer as he scanned the page. “So hot. Ugh, it’s so thick! I’m literally drooling here.” He looked up at Ray with a big smile. “Can you draw mine, too?”
“Draw it?”
“Yeah, you know, like if I was a model! A dick model!” he exclaimed, stuffing the sketchbook into Ray’s hands and putting his hands behind his head.
“Uh, sure, I guess,” Ray said with a smirk. “I’ll get my pencil.”
“Why does it look like an acorn?” Finn giggled, his mouth a big, mischievous, taunting grin.
Lucas was leaning against the side of the bed, his head propped up by his intertwined fingers, his hard erection jutting into the air. “Why does yours look like a fucking baby carrot? Prick.”
Ray sat cross-legged opposite of him and smirked as he sketched the outline of his balls.
“It’s cool how different each of our dicks are,” Nico said, glancing around. “It’s like one of those weird bands, you know, where every member’s got their own style.”
“Yes! Like Abba!” Finn suggested, his eyes lighting up. “Or Queen!”
“I call Freddy Mercury,” Lucas said.
Finn drew a sharp breath, gearing up to argue, but then paused, realizing that Lucas did indeed perfectly embody Freddy. “Fine. I would be Brian May. Ray is definitely John Deacon.”
“Is he good?” Ray asked.
“What about me?” Nico piped up.
Finn looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Well, you are not really Roger Taylor, but…”
“That’s okay, I’ll be Troye Sivan!” Nico exclaimed.
Lucas let out a deep, agonized groan. “Oh, God!”
“Who’s that?” Ray asked.
“Let’s just… pretend he never said that,” Lucas said, waving the comment away.
Nico stood up. “Why not?” he said, shrugging. “I like him. He’s normal.”
“That’s part of the problem.”
“What, you don’t think I’m normal?”
Lucas pointed fiercely at him. “Normal people don’t have a hundred dildos at the ripe age of twelve. Where’d you even find all those?”
“I got them for my birthdays and Christmases,” Nico responded innocently.
Lucas’s eyebrows shot up. “Ah, I see, you’ve got the kinky Santa.”
With a sigh, Finn rubbed his temple. “I wish I didn’t just picture that.”
“I only get boring stuff like puzzles or Jenga,” Ray complained. “Jenga’s not fun by yourself!”
“Maybe Nico will lend you some fun toys,” Lucas said casually, examining his fingernails. “Not like he doesn’t have any to spare.”
“I’m not allowed to,” Nico said. “Mom wants them to stay in the house.”
“Nico, your family’s fucking weird. But you know what, so is mine, so who cares,” Lucas said, and reached over to stroke his dick. “Anyway, let’s let Ray focus. I need my portrait to be extravagant.”
Lucas’s circumcised penis stood at attention, the head forming an arrow towards the ceiling. He reached over again to stroke it, making sure it remained hard. Ray sketched every part—the tight pair of balls, the small mole about an inch up his shaft, the bunched-up skin underneath the head. His penis bumped against the bottom of the sketchbook, and he pushed down on it to keep from messing with the drawing.
When he was done, he passed the sketchbook to Lucas, whose eyes widened in astonishment at the nearly perfect rendering of his penis, the lines and shading capturing its features with striking detail. “Bruh.”
“Wait, let me see!” Nico said, scrambling over. Finn, with a nonchalant stride, joined in to peer at the drawing as well. “Wow! It’s so detailed! You’re a really good draw-er! Can you draw mine too? Please?!”
Ray’s smile broadened, swelling with jot as the flurry of requests from his friends brought a rush of nostalgia, reminiscent of the carefree camp days with Jonah. “Sure!”
“Woo! Move your butt,” Nico said, pushing Lucas away as he took his spot, boner pulsing with excitement.
Lucas rebounded and shoved him playfully. “Didn’t you jizz twice already? How are you still hard?” he shouted, flailing his arms.
“What do you mean?”
“What do you mean ‘what do you mean?’ How often do you beat it every day?”
“Uh, I dunno,” Nico said, pausing and looking up in thought. “Three to six times?”
“Wow.”
Ray raised his eyebrows. He was used to Nico always bringing up sex, but the actual number had him blinking in disbelief.
“What?” Nico responded as if it weren’t a big deal.
“You are so horny!” Lucas accused, jamming a finger into his ribs.
“No I’m not!” Nico fired back, his fingers idly stimulating his anus.
Lucas smirked. “So you’re saying if I take a blacklight to this room—”
“A what-light?”
Lucas chuckled. “Nevermind. But I’m right and you know it.”
Nico’s penis was a skinny bar of flesh that curved ever-so-slightly to the side, a buttery sand hue that transformed into a rosy coral red the further up the shaft you went. His glans seemed only barely contained in his foreskin, pink and shiny with the shimmering remnants of his earlier pleasure. Beneath dangled his droopy nuts, both testicles clearly outlined inside the loose and jiggly bag.
“Nico, why’s your mom know so much about the Omen Rose people?” Lucas asked, reclining comfortably in Nico’s desk chair.
“Huh?”
“You know, the cult on the island they keep talking about,” Finn said.
“She said it’s a bunch of rich bad guys,” Lucas said.
Nico paused, his eyes widening as it finally clicked. “Oh, those guys! Wait, that’s the Omen Rose?”
Ray tilted his head up. “What do you mean?”
Nico’s eyes darted around as he scratched his head. “It’s… so, the Omen Rose isn’t the real name. It’s, like, er… oh man, what is it…”
The boys leaned in, their expressions a mix of eagerness and intrigue, especially Ray, who edged closer.
“An annergram!” Nico finally blurted out.
Their faces fell almost in unison, the tension dissolving away.
“You mean ‘anagram’?” Finn asked dryly.
“Oh. Probably.”
“What’s that?” Ray asked.
“An anagram,” Finn explained, “is a word or phrase created by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase.”
“Huh,” Lucas mused, leaning in with a curious gaze fixed on Nico. “So, if ‘Omen Rose’ is an anagram, what’s the real word then?”
“I forget.”
“How can you forget? It sounds like a pretty big deal!” Lucas shouted at him.
“It’s not my fault, the word was really confusing! Mom said it was Greek, like me.”
“We should ask her,” Ray said to him.
“Tomorrow,” Nico said, glancing at Ray’s sketchbook. “We’ve got drawings to finish!”
Unlike Lucas, Nico had no trouble staying hard for the entire drawing session. His penis remained firmly rigid for the entire five minutes with only the occasional twitch, precum drooling from the slit as he sat there with a big, dumb smile.
When Ray finally set down his pencil, Nico rushed over to check out the drawing. For a moment, he seemed lost for words, tracing the intricate details of his perfectly-drawn penis. “Whoa… this is awesome!”
“You like it?”
“It’s so cool! Damn, look at my little eggs! I have to send this to Logan!” He took a photo and sent it, then ushered Finn to his previous modeling spot.
Finn was reluctant at first, but after a round of convincing from everyone, hesitantly moved his hands away. His penis was undoubtedly the smallest of the group. He was soft, and the little white elephant trunk dangled over his small, undropped balls. Creamy foreskin hid the head completely, forming a puckered lip at the end.
“C’mon,” Nico pouted, staring at it, “get hard!”
“I’m not aroused,” Finn assured him.
“What if I show you my ass?”
“If you want it to get smaller, then sure,” he replied, earning a scowl from Nico. “Please go quickly,” he said to Ray.
“Hey! Don’t rush art,” Lucas chimed in.
“I don’t like being watched like a piece of meat,” Finn said, eyeing the blonds warily.
“But you and your little dickie are so cute!” Lucas exclaimed.
“This is exactly why,” Finn muttered under his breath. “Only Ray should be allowed to look, he is the only respectful one.”
As Ray finished and put down his pencil, the boys gathered around, their faces alight with anticipation.
“Wow… it really is like a band,” Nico said.
“A boy band,” Lucas remarked.
“But we are missing a member. Literally,” Finn noted, and the group glanced at Ray.
Ray grinned sheepishly and touched the back of his neck. “Um, it’d be hard to draw mine, the angle would be all wrong.”
Lucas waved a dismissive hand. “Easy; Nico, fetch my boy a mirror, would you?” he said, speaking like a king.
Nico frowned. “The only one we have is in the bathroom.”
“Then go grab it, my liege!”
“It’s bolted to the fucking wall, genius,” Nico shot back.
The grin on Lucas’s face vanished. “Oh. Don’t you have a handheld one?”
Nico took a second to think, then shook his head. “Nope, just the one stuck to the wall.” Lucas let out a sigh of resignation. “But hang on, I have an idea!” He grabbed his phone from the bed. “Get him a boner!”
Lucas rubbed his hands together. “Don’t mind if I do!” He plopped down in front of Ray, who nodded his consent. Lucas reached for his penis, lifting it and giving it a gentle stroke.
As Ray boned up from his manipulations, Nico approached them. “Nice stiffie! Say cheese!” With a flash, Ray’s erection was captured by Nico’s phone. Satisfied, he handed the phone to Ray, who bashfully reviewed the image of his junk.
Like anyone else, Ray was used to seeing his penis from an overhead angle, so this new perspective was fascinating. His shaft looked long and smooth, and his red tip poked out of the wrinkled foreskin like a little baboon’s butt. He tried not to feel cocky about being the longest and thickest with the biggest balls, but a prideful smile did end up shining through.
“Aw, look at that! I love all our cocks!” Lucas said upon reviewing Ray’s finished drawing, putting his arms around everyone. “But yours is still my favorite,” he said, elbowing Ray in the side.
“Thanks?”
Lucas sighed dreamily. “I’m in love.”
“That was cool,” Nico said, “but now I want ice cream. Who wants vegan ice cream?”
Their eager responses melded into a youthful chant, “Ice cream! Ice cream! Ice cream!”
Ray wiggled his toes in the cool, shallow water, the grainy sand warm beneath his feet. The sun dipped low, casting a golden glow over the waves that rolled gently onto the shore, the horizon ablaze with brilliantly colored light. For a moment, he felt a surreal connection with the sun, as though he could reach out and wrap his arms around its fading warmth, holding it forever.
“Ray!” The word, sharp and unexpected, sliced through the stillness from behind him. He turned, his vision momentarily blurred, struggling to focus on the figure that had called his name.
There stood what seemed like a reflection of himself—clad in an identical white t-shirt and vibrant orange swim trunks, with eyes a vivid shade of green. Yet, there was a subtle difference in the way the boy’s hair cascaded, a shade lighter and artfully disheveled, brushing just above his eyebrows. Paris?
The boy darted past him and collapsed into the sand, his hands eagerly scooping it up to fortify a rudimentary sand castle. Ray scoffed at the childlike structure and turned his attention back to the sea.
The water nibbled at his feet, a sensation almost ticklish, but exaggerated, as if the ocean itself were teasing him. He longed for the peace he had felt moments ago, but it was slipping away, replaced by a growing unease in his gut.
Just as the ticklish sensation intensified, the world around Ray began to shift. Gone was the steady push and pull of the tide, replaced by the soft rustle of sheets. His eyes snapped to the foot of the bed, where Lucas, grinning mischievously, danced his fingers over Ray’s feet. Confused, he quickly glanced to his side, trying to remember where he was, and saw Nico’s naked body sprawled out, his arms draped over both Finn and Ray’s stomachs. When he looked back, Lucas met his gaze and paused, a sly smile spreading across his face.
“Good, it worked,” Lucas whispered, pulling his hands away. He raised a finger to his lips. “C’mon,” he urged, “and be quiet!”
Gently pushing Nico’s arm off, Ray slid out of bed, stifling a yawn. “What’s going on?”
“Just follow me,” Lucas said, nudging him towards the window, where silver moonlight spilled into the room.
“Out?” Ray whispered back, looking over his shoulder at the warm and comfortable bed where Nico and Finn lay sleeping peacefully. “But I was sleeping!” He looked down at his slender body, clad in only white briefs.
“It’ll be fun, I promise.”
Ray sighed. Though a part of him longed to crawl back into the comforting cocoon of the bed, another part was already tiptoeing towards the moonlit window. “Fine, but can I at least get my shorts, I don’t want anyone to—”
“Dude, it’s like 2 a.m.!” Lucas assured him before climbing through the window.
With a weary groan, Ray followed him out. The night air nipped at Ray’s skin, and he shivered slightly, missing the comfortable warmth of Nico’s room. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, the chirping of crickets accompanying their stealthy movements as they maneuvered over the roof’s ridge, peering over the empty backyard below.
“Why did you bring me out here? I want to go back to bed,” Ray said, huddling into his knees.
“I just wanted some alone time with you.”
“Why me? I mean, I’m boring. You could have woken up Finn or Nico instead.”
Lucas frowned. “Boring? That’s the last word I’d use. I wanna know everything about you.”
“Still, Finn or Nico might be more—”
Lucas scoffed, shaking his head. “Gross. No, it had to be you.”
“Why?” Ray persisted, his voice a mix of curiosity and uncertainty.
“Because,” Lucas said, his voice softening as he placed a hand on Ray’s knee, “I wanted you.”
“Why?”
“Damn, don’t you get it? I like you. You’re cute. You’re fun to talk to,” Lucas said, listing off the points on his fingers. “You’re a good friend, you’re nice, and damn it, Ray, you have the awesomest dick I’ve ever seen in my life! Maybe I just wanted some personal time with it.”
Ray’s puzzled frown melted into a smirk that blossomed into a genuine smile. “Seriously?”
“Yes,” Lucas affirmed. “Absolutely. I couldn’t sleep I’ve been so rock-fucking-hard thinking about you and it.” He groped Ray’s crotch through the softness of his underpants. “Please let me suck it. I’ll do anything!”
“I dunno,” Ray said, skepticism edging into his voice. “Isn’t that kinda weird?”
“Only if you hate feeling good!” Lucas replied with an eager grin, running his fingers along the length of his shaft.
“Okay, I guess. It won’t hurt, or anything, right?” he asked, Finn’s pained grunts coming to mind.
Lucas blinked. “Ray.”
“Okay, okay,” Ray conceded, dropping his arms to his sides. “Uh, go for it.”
Lucas grinned triumphantly and maneuvered himself in front of him. Ray’s grimace softened into a half-smile as Lucas slid his underwear down. As Lucas stared at his dick, the awkwardness of being seen naked resurfaced, but less severely than before. Lucas grabbed his balls and lowered his face to them, stroking the saggy skin with his lips before sloshing his tongue across it, bumping across each testicle, then took the whole bag into his mouth.
Ray giggled at the awkward sensation. “More tickling?”
“Just wait,” Lucas mumbled, his mouth full. He pulled his mouth off them, making sure to take most of the moisture with him, then inched upward to Ray’s soft penis, using his tongue to lift the flaccid noodle into his mouth.
Ray’s insides tingled like soda bubbles, and his hands instinctively clenched into tight fists. Even though it was with a boy, he couldn’t believe he was getting his first blowjob. Lucas watched the rise and fall of Ray’s belly as his tongue danced across the surface of his shaft, coating it in saliva. Ray’s heart beat rapidly, pumping new life into his penis as Lucas gripped it with both hands, his tongue licking around the throbbing head.
The sensation started out mild, like sucking on a finger, but the harder Ray became, the more intense it grew. Determined to give Ray the best first blowjob in history, he used all his effort, bobbing his head rapidly while using his tongue to assault Ray’s hard flesh. He let his hands roam from Ray’s balls to his thighs, his hips, his bony ribs, his small nipples, anything to give the beautiful boy more pleasure, and the result was immediate. Ray grabbed Lucas’s shoulders and began wildly thrusting into his mouth, groaning as the pressure rapidly built, his hands slowly slipping upward into Lucas’s hair.
“Yes!” he vocalized loudly, simply unable to remain quiet any longer. “Oh, Lucas!”
He was trying to be gentle but found his hands clinging to Lucas’s skin on their own, his body urging him to go a little faster without any input from his mind. The familiar sensation began as a faint spark but swiftly grew into an intense, all-encompassing storm. Lucas was simply holding his mouth in an O while Ray speared himself in and out, nutsack smacking against Lucas’s chin until his burning pecker reached its tipping point.
Curling up around Lucas’s head, Ray came, pushing Lucas’s head down on his cock and grinning stupidly as the epic climax flooded through his body. His eyelids fluttered open and closed rapidly, and he groaned like it was the first time he’d cum in a month. “That was… better than ever,” he managed to choke out, struggling for breath.
Lucas popped off of him, wiping his lips and grinning triumphantly. “Was it better than Paris’s blowie?”
Ray’d forgotten about that rumor and grinned widely as he playfully shoved him. “Shut up,” he laughed.
“Man, I love the taste of your jizz. I could get used to that.”
“Wait, what?”
“I said it’s tasty! Too bad there’s not a lot of it.”
Ray’s eyes went wide, his mouth hanging open as he gaped at Lucas. “I jizzed?!”
Lucas gave him a peculiar glance. “Hold on, don’t tell me…” Their eyes locked, a spark of shared excitement between them, and Lucas beamed. “Man, I’m good!”
“Lucas, that was the first time ever!” Ray squeaked as they grabbed each other, bouncing up and down.
“Man, I am good!” Lucas repeated, his enthusiasm amplifying with their shared excitement.
“That was really fun!” Ray said, looking down at his glossy boner that shimmered in the moonlight. “It felt really good and it didn’t hurt at all!”
“Yeah, we should do it more often,” Lucas said, smirking.
“Can you?”
“I’d do it whenever you wanted… if you were my boyfriend!”
Ray’s voice dropped. “Oh.” Boyfriend? Like Paris and Griffin?
“Yeah, this is me asking you out,” Lucas said, a tremble in his voice that Ray could feel more than hear. “So… wanna go out?”
Ray lapsed into contemplation. He didn’t really want to be anyone’s boyfriend, but that blowjob was totally super awesome. “Do I have to do it back to you?”
Lucas shook his head. “No. Er, only if you want to.”
Ray squeezed his penis. “Okay, sure.”
“Seriously?! You want to?” Lucas exclaimed.
“I guess so. Paris and Griffin were boyfriends, and they seemed kinda happy together.”
Lucas sprung up and pulled their bodies into a warm hug. “Yesss!” he cried. Ray’s lips curled into a tentative smile, warmth spreading through him as Lucas’s hug enveloped him. “Man, I bet Griffin sucked Paris dry,” Lucas said, licking his lips.
“Do you think that’s what the Omen Rose is all about? All this sex stuff?”
“Hey,” Lucas said with a sharp snap of his fingers. “Let it go, Ray. Didn’t you hear what Grace said? Those people are bad people, we need to stop thinking about it completely before we end up dead in a dumpster behind a fucking Denny’s!”
“But it’s important! I think—”
“No. As your new boyfriend, I forbid you to even think about that stupid shit again. Let’s focus our minds on more important matters.”
“Like what?” Ray asked, his brows knitting together in a frown, a sharp edge creeping into his tone.
“Me ravaging you twenty-four-seven,” he said, flipping his hair back. “Among other things.”
Ray gently shoved his shoulder. “But we can’t give up now! We’re so close to solving the mystery!”
“What mystery, Ray? We know who they are: they’re a bunch of dicks. They hang out on some stupid island in the middle of nowhere like supervillains, and harass kids behind schools for fun! There, mystery solved!”
“It’s not—that’s not everything!”
“Who cares, bro? It’s not important enough.”
“Jonah cares. It’s mostly what we talk about.”
“Oh, please, would you stop bringing him up? I know exactly what we should do. I want one of Nico’s toys. Now that we’re boyfriends, we’re gonna need something to spice up our sex life, and I bet those things feel really good!”
Ray let out a resigned sigh. “Nico isn’t allowed to share them. Not that I’d want to use one of his old ones…” Ray said with a shiver.
“Then we’ll buy one of our own.”
“How are we gonna do that? We’re kids—” Ray began, but Lucas put a finger over his mouth to shush him.
With a conviction that silenced all of Ray’s doubts, Lucas whispered, “I’ve got this,” and in the tender seclusion of the moonlit moment, he kissed Ray, sealing their shared mission with the promise of the night.