Warning: NSFW - sex scene, minor mentions of abuse.

Fuse couldn’t decide if the cafe was for women—pink, full of macaroons, or men—waitresses dressed in short, maid costumes. The entire place smelled so sweet that he felt like his nose was going to end up getting cavities.

Fuse wouldn’t have thought to take Mali here—it was Ake’s idea. He’d insisted that it was not so romantic that she’d be weirded out, but not so casual that she would think he hadn’t put in any effort. Fuse had no idea that dating could be so complex.

A cold cup in one hand and a scalding-hot beverage in the other, he returned to their booth and set their drinks on the table.

Mali smiled and picked up her drink. Today, she’d pulled her hair back in a smooth ponytail. She wore an off-white dress that contrasted beautifully against her copper-colored skin and dipped low enough to expose her collarbones. A simple silver bracelet adorned her wrist. It matched well with his new earring.

“Mmm.” Mali smacked her rose-pink lips together after taking a short sip. “This is pretty good. How about yours?”

Fuse glanced down at the steaming cup in front of him. In all honesty, he had no idea what he’d ordered. All the names were confusing, and he didn’t feel like reading the descriptions. Fingers crossed that ‘Unicorn Nectar’ didn’t taste as horribly pink as it sounded.

With a slight hesitancy, he took a small sip.

“Ai’Karn?” Mali said, staring over Fuse’s shoulder.

Fuse sprayed the sickly sweet drink across the table, barely missing his date. He turned around, mouth gaping open at the sight of Karn standing right behind him.

Of all the cafes he might’ve seen Karn at, Fuse would’ve never guessed this one. The girly aesthetic was in complete contrast to Karn’s taste for bitter drinks. Even his attire didn’t match the theme of the joint.

Karn wore a dark purple dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and top unbuttoned to expose a fair amount of pale flesh. Any lower, and the hickeys Fuse had put on him last night would be exposed. A gold chain hung around his neck. Tight, sky-blue jeans fit his muscled legs like a second skin. He looked absolutely gorgeous.

Karn held a tight smile and a small coffee in hand. “Hi.”

“I’m surprised this place is your sort of scene. Are you here with anyone?” Mali’s gaze shifted around the room. Fuse had the same thought.

“It’s just me.” Karn might’ve been talking to Mali, but his entire focus was on Fuse, stare glued to him like skin to hot metal. There was something behind his eyes, a message that Fuse was having a difficult time reading. But he knew it wasn’t anything good. “Sorry, am I interrupting something?”

“Not at all.” Mali tapped the tabletop, communicating that she’d felt very much interrupted but was too polite to say it.

Fuse’s throat was dry. He wanted to speak, yet all he could do was stare at Karn like an idiot.

“Right.” Karn nodded, taking a slow, languid sip of his drink as he eyed Fuse down. He pulled away, smacking his lips together, and said, “Well…I should get going. Have fun on your…”

“Date,” Mali clarified.

“Right.” Karn smirked, but the arrogant glint in his eyes was absent. “Date.”

As he turned to leave, Fuse’s heart instantly dropped to his stomach. An invisible force was pushing him to go after Karn, a sudden instinct screaming that he should follow the other male. It didn’t make sense. Fuse should’ve just gone back to his date, but he couldn’t sit back and ignore that chilling look Karn gave him before he left.

“Excuse me,” Fuse said, turning back to Mali with an apologetic smile. He shot up from his seat. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” Mali said, sudden confusion on her face.

Fuse abandoned his coffee and chased Karn out of the cafe. The male was already halfway down the street, striding toward an illegally parked sports car near an empty park.

Desperation shooting through his veins, Fuse sped up to catch him. He opened his mouth to call for Karn, but all that came out was an airy whisper. His throat was so dry, his tongue felt like sandpaper.

Karn got into the car. Without thinking, he ran to Karn like his life depended on it. But it was too late. He was too far away, and the car took off, taking Karn with it.

* * *

The evening ended well with Mali, but the entire time, Fuse couldn’t help but think about Karn. The way he rushed out of the cafe and took off in his car without a word and the faint squeal of tires under strain. The sinking feeling he got as soon as Karn left his sight. But Fuse still didn’t understand those ice cold daggers he shot at him from his glare. He was just on a date. Fooling around together didn’t make them exclusive.

Fuse had been given plenty of looks before. Disappointed glares from his father. Glinting smiles from Ake. Surprised impressions from the Bodyguard Program instructors. Though they all served different purposes, they had one thing in common: he knew how to respond to them.

He’d cower under his father’s glare, give Ake a smile in return, and beam proudly when the instructors deemed him skilled. But Karn’s look. He didn’t know how to register it. Was he supposed to feel bad? Guilty? Angry? He hadn’t done anything wrong, yet he sensed that something was wrong. With Karn.

Deep in thought, Fuse returned to the dorm, knowing that it’d be empty. A few weeks ago, that would’ve been exactly what he wanted. But now, it was what he was dreading.

He had gotten used to the little routine they had. He'd wake up, see Karn at school, they’d go to the bodyguard program, and they’d come back to fool around with each other until they fell asleep. Wash, rinse, repeat.

With a sigh full of resignation, Fuse opened the door. He stopped at the door frame, pulse rapidly beating as his grip on the handle tightened. Karn was there. Sitting on his bed. Dressed in a white tank top and sweats. Staring at the wall.

Fuse slipped into the room and shut the door behind him with a thump. He rushed to his dresser, avoiding Karn’s gaze like the plague.

Karn didn’t utter a word, and Fuse tensed at the silence. Unbuttoning his shirt, he shivered as he felt Karn’s heated stare burning into him. Usually, undressing in front of someone made him feel overly vulnerable, not wanting anyone to see the marks of abuse on his skin. But now, he felt as though there was a target on his back. He fumbled with the last few buttons, quietly cursing himself for taking so long.

Unable to shrug off the uncomfortable sensation of Karn’s gaze, he jerked his head around to see Karn right behind him. The hairs on his neck stood straight like pine needles.

Fuse jumped back, slamming into the dresser. He blocked his face reflexively, ready for the punch that never came. Realizing that Karn wasn’t going to hit him, he lowered his hands.

Karn remained frighteningly silent. His dark eyes were no longer warm but a cold brown in the light from the lamp beside them. His fists curled loosely at his side and gave the impression of a sense of danger. The anger in the male’s silence filtered into Fuse’s heart, and he swore it was about to run out of his chest.

He swallowed the pent-up fear in his throat. Karn snatched him by his opened shirt, the cotton snapping with the force of his grip, and suddenly, Fuse was being dragged into a kiss. He gasped, giving Karn the opportunity to slip his tongue inside his mouth, introducing the faint taste of black coffee. Desire clenched in his gut. Fingers twitching with excitement, Fuse grabbed the back of Karn’s head, sliding his hands against his silky hair.

Karn dragged them away from the dresser and twirled around, guiding them across the room. Fuse let out a grunt as he slammed down onto the bed, Karn landing on top of him and sinking him deeper into the mattress with his body weight.

Karn deepened the kiss as he pressed his steel-hard cock against Fuse’s own. Fuse melted into his lips, confused but relieved that they weren’t in the midst of an argument. Karn’s tongue licked inside his mouth, setting him alight with a silent flame. Fuse felt as though he was being branded by him.

He slipped his hands under Karn’s tank top and ran them up to his chest, feeling his taut muscles flexing under the touch. Karn’s body fit between Fuse’s spread legs, the space close and intimate. The pressure against Fuse built, from his heavy breaths to Karn’s weight on top of him.

Karn broke the kiss and tore his tank top off. He stared down at Fuse, still with that anger in his eyes. Fuse looked up at him while tracing circles around the male’s tightly furled nipples. He flicked one of them and smirked as Karn let out a delicious gasp.

Karn grabbed Fuse’s wrists and pinned them over his head. He tensed, his arms quickly growing sore from the tight grip, but he made no protest. He became very aware of his open shirt, the dark bruises on his stomach and scattered hickeys on his chest, the way his limbs weakened, and he easily submitted to Karn. Even under the capture of his wrath, Fuse couldn’t help but trust him.

Karn placed his free hand on Fuse’s neck, splaying his fingers across his jugular. He then slid his warm palm down to his chest, raking his nails over his body as he lowered them to Fuse’s abdomen. Fuse shuddered at the tingling sensation on his flesh and tucked in his chin to get a view of the new, red lines on him, some overlapping his fading bruises. It was as though Karn was taking ownership of his body, as if to say that he was the only one that got to ruin Fuse. The only one allowed to claim him.

Fuse caught his breath in his throat, trembling as Karn stroked his stomach with a feathery touch. Karn hovered over Fuse again, attacking his neck with wet kisses. He nipped under Fuse’s ear. His toes curled in delight. The sound of Karn’s touch hummed in his ears, singing, ‘Mine, mine, mine!’ Fuse’s eyes rolled back as he felt Karn bite down, the pain dulled by his moist suction. Fuse could feel how dark the mark would be. It’d be impossible to hide with his clothes, and it briefly occurred to him that Mali and his father would see it, but he didn’t care. At this moment, the rest of the world didn’t matter.

Karn continued to lick and nip, making his way down to Fuse’s chest. He latched his lips onto Fuse’s right nipple and sank his teeth into his flesh like a mark of possession. Fuse moaned and squirmed, the electric pain both exciting and terrifying. Karn coated his flesh in wetness, swirling his tongue around as he sucked. Fuse grabbed a fistful of sheets and let out a small sob.

Karn looked up at him, a coldness now in his eyes that made him shiver. Karn’s expression was detached, like a puppet without strings, and Fuse couldn’t help a twisted feeling of adrenaline writhing in his gut. He pushed the emotion away, too hungry for pleasure to worry about anything else.

Karn continued to litter Fuse’s chest and shoulders with hickeys. Soon, Fuse’s body looked like a canvas full of red-pink color, and he began imagining the different blues, purples, and greens that would form on his skin. As Karn worked his mouth over Fuse, his hold on his wrists loosened. Fuse broke free from his captivity and reached for Karn’s hair, but Karn was quick to pin him back in place.

Fuse whined. His cock throbbed in his jeans, painfully neglected. He waited for Karn to leave his chest alone, his neediness and impatience growing.

“Karn…” Fuse sobbed. “Please, touch me,” he managed to say.

Karn wrenched open and snatched Fuse’s belt and tore it from his waist. He rubbed his knee against Fuse’s aching cock, the soothing pressure releasing a bit of tension.

“Is this what you wanted?” Karn murmured huskily against his shoulder.

Fuse nodded, too afraid of the sound he’d make if he were to speak. He sighed in relief as Karn palmed him through his jeans, the heated friction sending voltaic waves of pleasure throughout his body. The knot in his chest began to unfurl. It was such a small touch, not even skin to skin, but that was the effect Karn had on him.

Before Fuse could cry out that he was about to explode, Karn removed his hand and flipped Fuse onto his stomach, the abruptness cutting his breath short. Fuse spread his arms out and jolted as Karn yanked his jeans and underwear past his thighs. The room suddenly heated by one hundred degrees, his shirt becoming uncomfortably warm. Fuse awkwardly shrugged it off and tossed it to the ground. He gasped and pressed his face into the bed as Karn smacked the curve of his backside, the crack ringing in the room.

Karn groped a handful of his ass, massaging the bright sting. Fuse wished he could see Karn’s face. He felt uncomfortable without eye contact, disconnected without the ability to see Karn’s expression as he pleased his body. More than anything, he wanted to latch onto their connection and use it to drive his own experience higher. His glance back rewarded him with a quick glimpse of Karn’s face but not enough to satisfy his need. Karn shuffled off the mattress and landed on his knees, dragging Fuse toward the end of the bed. He caressed his fingers across Fuse’s ass cheeks and spread them apart, then blew gently across the tightly closed entry.

“Karn, what’re you—”

Fuse’s breath hitched as Karn ran a finger along the crevice of his ass cheeks. Fuse shivered in shock. Karn’s gesture was wrong but felt right in every other way. Before he could respond, he felt Karn rub a questing finger over his tender hole. It felt weird, but also kind of good. He wanted to protest when Karn suddenly pulled away, but cold liquid sliding along his crevice stole his voice. His muddled brain managed to comprehend Karn was covering his ass in lube. Fuse’s muscles clenched like ringing out a wet towel, surprised by how stimulating the sensation of Karn’s warm yet slick finger was.

“Ai’Karn, w-what’re you—”

Karn didn’t give him time to think or speak, groping his ass with one hand as he slowly slipped the tip of his finger inside of Fuse’s puckering entrance. Fuse’s almost-protests alternated to a surprised whimper. Fuse jerked forward, away from Karn’s finger, shaking into the mattress.

“It’s okay,” Karn said warmly. “You can take it.”

Fuse eased into Karn’s soothing tone, his entrance opening up enough for Karn to press inside of him again. A dull sting, Fuse had no way of describing how erotically pleasing the slight pain of someone inside of him was. It was bright and clear, and Fuse tightened with his entire being from just a finger, yet it was somehow comforting and addictive. And he didn’t want Karn to stop.
All Fuse could do was cry out profanities from the pleasure. Karn took his time, softly fingering him with a passion that Fuse was too mindfucked to describe. He sucked in a sharp breath as Karn slid his finger deeper inside of him, exciting his nerve endings. Instinctually, he rocked his hips back, Karn’s finger sliding further inside from the movement. Fuse shuddered, his cock rubbing against the smooth material of sheets.

Fuse would’ve expected this to feel so foreign, and in a way, it did. He’d never imagined anyone putting their finger in his ass, the idea too taboo. But it was the stigma surrounding the act that spiked his adrenaline. Karn, the man he once hated, the mafia son, his client’s son, was invading him in the most erotic way.

Suddenly, Karn hooked his finger and rubbed in a spot that caused small explosions of pleasure to course throughout his body. Nothing in Fuse’s life had ever made him feel this satisfied. All of the martial art’s trophies in the world couldn’t compare.

Karn’s hand abandoned him. He was about to ask him why he stopped when he heard Karn shuffle his sweatpants off. He turned on his side to get a better view of the other male. But he rolled him back to his stomach, while stroking his own cock in his other hand. Fuse opened his mouth to ask what the hell Karn was going to do. His question was quickly answered by a satin-textured cock slipping between his ass cheeks. Fuse’s eyes widened, fear striking his core at the thought of Karn wanting to penetrate him. He didn’t know much about gay sex, but he knew that he had to at least be prepped before a cock was shoved into him. And from Karn’s size, it was going to take more than a bit of fingering to loosen him up enough.

“Wait,” Fuse gasped. “Karn, I’m too tight.” He felt his face heat with shame.

“I’m not going to fuck you,” Karn said. “I just want to feel you against my cock.”

Taken aback by his bluntness, Fuse hushed and closed his eyes. Karn rubbed his cock between his ass cheeks, his silky warmth feeling oddly comforting but also stimulating as it rubbed over his entrance. It wasn’t extremely pleasurable, but feeling Karn’s cock almost inside of him sent tingles down his spine. Karn faintly grunted behind him, his thrusts beginning to match the rhythm of Fuse’s racing heart. Fuse curled his fingers around the base of his cock and began stroking himself, the tension in his veins unfurling. Beads of moisture wept from the head of his cock and spilled into the sheets, his entire being fizzing into a euphoric frenzy.

Within thirty seconds, both males were moaning out each other’s names. Fuse orgasmed and shoved his face into his sheets as he felt Karn’s warm, creamy load spray across his back. Karn dropped beside him on the bed, his face and neck covered with beads of sweat. Fuse gasped, his throat dry. He barely managed to drag himself properly onto the bed before, blackness painted his vision and dragged him to sleep.

A loud alarm clock interrupted Fuse’s peaceful slumber. Squinting at the brightness, he craned his neck, his body still tingling from last night, and faced an empty side of his bed. It might’ve been hours ago, but in his muscles, it felt like they’d been intimate only five minutes ago. With a foggy mind, Fuse turned over and sat up, cringing at the feel of sweat and body fluids, even though he guessed from past experience and a true lack of stickiness that Karn had probably cleaned the worst of it off him.

Hearing the bathroom door open, Fuse turned to see Karn walking out, dressed in his uniform with his hair perfectly styled. He walked straight to his bed.

Fuse picked up his cellphone from his nightstand and checked the cherry-red hickey stamped on his neck. He grimaced, instantly regretful. “Do you have anything to cover up this hickey? My Dad can’t see this, and none of the collars on my shirt go up to my ears.”

Silence. Not an arrogant chuckle or even a smirk from Karn. Karn grabbed his blanket and tucked it under his mattress, no sign of acknowledgement even in his eyes. Had he gone deaf in eight hours?

“Ai’Karn,” Fuse said a bit louder. “I’m talking to you.”

Karn neatly repositioned his pillows.

Fuse frowned, Karn’s coldness instantly waking him up like a bucket of ice water had been thrown on him. He watched the other pick up his backpack from the floor and make his way to the door.

“Ai’Karn!” Fuse hopped to his feet, but he was too late. By the time he started making his way to him, Karn was out the door and heading down the main hall on their floor. Fuse felt his heart drop to the floor.

This is all wrong.