Seth by Nero Seal

Sitting in the car,Gustavo rested his forehead against the wheel. Diego’s intense look, burning him from the front passenger seat, irritated.

“Humor me, say, why do you keep provoking him? Don’t you think he would have already told you everything if you asked nicely?”

“I can’t help it. He is cute when he is mad. And he makes me feel—” His words cut off as a shameless hand reached from the seat to his groin, groped.

“You are hard.”

Gustavo’s fingers tightened around the wheel, knuckles blanching. “Remove your hand right away, or I’ll break it.”

“Sorry-sorry.” The hand withdrew; Diego chuckled. “I thought you have no feelings for him?”

“I don’t.”

“Then what’s this?” Gustavo lifted his head to see a finger pointing at his groin.

“Adrenaline.”

“That’s what we call it now, huh?”

Gustavo wanted to retort, but his phone chimed, captivating his attention.

“Where are you? What the hell is going on?”

Looking at his lover’s name, he smirked then started the car. “Let’s go home. Hans is waiting.”

* * *

His footfalls echoedthrough the hospital’s corridor, disturbing the hush. Rage bubbled in Seth’s throat, making it hard to breathe or swallow as his fingers clutched around the box. Rose thorns stabbed his finger pads through the paper, but Seth refused to ease his grip.

He passed the reception and aimed for the door when sharp hairs raced up his neck in alarm. He spun on his heel, glare clashing with the haunting, blue eyes of Ignaz.

Seth’s anger redirected. He remembered the stripping, inquisitive attention that had crawled under his skin during the scene, the intrusive curiosity that didn’t seem to respect privacy.

The boy sat on the bench hunched forward with his arms wound around his middle. Dried blood crusted over his lips, he sported a black eye, and he constantly sniveled with his bleeding nose. Under his scrutiny, the boy averted his face.

Usually, Seth would ignore this simple gesture of avoidance, but after the boy rubbernecked the other day, this evasion felt disrespectful. His rage sharpened. The wish to corner the boy and force him to acknowledge him sparked in his core, but the arm in his hands demanded attention.

Glowering for a heartbeat longer, he walked out into the night.

The wind thrashed his shirt as he walked out of the gates and turned toward the city center. Streetlights, symmetrically placed at either side of the boulevard, cast bright rings over the white paving stone beneath them and washed the lower branches of thuja trees in yellow. Under the gusts, their crowns bowed toward the ground, greeting him.

His vision sharpened as the surreal feel enchanted the night. He could see every separate particle of dust, every tiny leaf as clearly as the whole cityscape as if he and his surroundings were one. The euphoric sense of omnipotence syringed into his veins and gave birth to weird illusions of power where he could bend and twist reality to his will, just like he always controlled the desert in his dreams.

He frowned, disliking the idea of the borders of his sanity fading. Lately it had been happening way too often. He was about to reach up and touch his face to confirm his reality when his phone rang. Relieved, he pulled the device out of his pocket.

“Seth?” The stern voice coming from speakers stopped him in his tracks. His fingers clutched around the dead arm, crumpling the paper. “Why aren’t you in your room? I can’t find your clothes either.” When Seth didn’t reply, the doctor continued. “I see… Well, I strongly advise you to turn back. In your condition you—”

Seth chuckled. In the night, despite the wind, his voice sounded surprisingly strong. “Ah, doctor, there’s no need. We both know it’s useless. Why don’t you save your time for someone who needs it more? We both know people like me don’t live long anyway.”

“That isn’t true.” David’s bass dropped to the lower octave and now resembled an animal growl. “I’ve told you many times; your lifespan depends entirely on how you treat your body. You need this check-up. Please, return to the hospital.”

“The internet must have made lying to patients harder,” Seth wondered.

The soft chuckle, coming from the speakers, mixed with a howl of the wind. “Yes, it has. Telling the truth too as now everyone is their own doctor. Despite what you read, you can have a normal, long life if you stick with your routine. You need check-ups, ration corrections, and exercises, and you need physiotherapy.”

Seth shook his head as he remembered his dreams and the bones visible through the festering skin on the body of the dying god. No, doctor, it’s too late for exercises.

Even if he wanted to believe David and stay, the arm in his hands couldn’t wait. Soon enough, it would start stinking, attracting the noses of experienced medical workers. He smiled with his lips only, cocked his head, then said, “You know, doctor, I don’t think I have time for it now. Maybe next month.”

Without waiting for a reply, he hung up.

* * *

His mansion greetedGustavo with a strained atmosphere and uncomfortable silence. The butler, the old man with silver hair that thinned out at the top of his head, lifted his hands and violently shook them, fingers spread. His eyes bulged as he nodded toward the office.

Without a word, Gustavo bustled through the door and growled as soon as he saw Hans standing against the window. “Didn’t I tell you not to enter the office? What are you doing here?”

Anger twisted Hans’ beautiful face in an ugly grimace. Instead of answering, he picked a pile of pictures from Gustavo’s desk and threw them forward. With a rustle, the papers whirled in the air and scattered on the floor. “What the hell is this?”

“Your behavior is pissing me off! Stop, now.” Gustavo raised his voice in annoyance but stopped short as his gaze landed on the images of Hans’ naked body hanging in the ropes and covered in tomato sauce.

Diego whistled and turned his back on the room, intending to flee, when Gustavo said in a low voice, “Don’t you dare leave me alone.”

“I’ll ask again, what kind of sick shit is this?” Hans’ upper lip thinned out and jerked up.

“Photoshop.” Diego deadpanned. “Gustavo is scared to confess to you that he developed a new kink. He thought you wouldn’t understand, but well, you know his perverted mind. He needed visual stimulus to...” Diego mimed jerking-off.

Gustavo glared. Diego shrugged and dropped his hand.

“Do you take me for an idiot?” Hans’ face flushed. He grabbed another picture and thrust it forward, showing Seth’s handwritten note. “What’s this?”

Gustavo sighed, slapped Diego’s shoulder, then approached Hans. His aggression evaporated. When he spoke again, his voice came out calm, tranquil. “I have to tell you something, and you won’t like it. Sit.”

Hans slumped into the leather chair, and Gustavo squatted in front of him. Looking into the beautiful face, he started talking.

Meanwhile, Diego fixed himself a drink then stretched on the leather sofa. His smile grew wider as Hans’ face lost all color. When Gustavo finished, Hans got up, approached the bar, and filled a glass with whiskey. The young man whose favorite drink was Sex on the Beach drained the glass in one go.

“How is it even possible? You have armed people here… How?” Hans gritted his teeth.

“We’re trying to figure it out.” Gustavo approached him from behind and locked his arms around the strong shoulders.

“I don’t want to be involved in this shit.” Hans snapped and shook off his touch. “You hear me?”

“You won’t be.” Patiently, Gustavo tried to touch the young man again but received the same treatment. “I promise.”

“I’m serious. This is sick.” Hans spun and gave him a once over with large, frightened eyes. His whiskey breath washed over Gustavo when he spoke again. “Why do you look like this? What happened to your clothes, and what is that, blood?” He nodded toward Gustavo’s slashed pants and the blood crusted over his thigh when realization twisted his features in a sour grimace. “I see… You went to see him. It looks like what he did to your face wasn’t enough for you.”

Gustavo didn’t reply, but Diego raising his glass in the air to salute didn’t escape his attention.

Hans’ face darkened. “Listen, I don’t care what kind of sick shit turns you on nowadays, but I don’t want to be part of it.”

“Are you scared?” Gustavo’s palms touched Hans’ elbows, skidded up to his shoulders.

“That’s right, I fucking am. I have the right to be. Maybe I was raped and don’t even know it? What else do you hide from me?” He shuddered.

Gustavo looked aside. It took him a moment to swallow the lump in his throat and meet Hans’ glare again. “You weren’t raped. We checked you while you were sleeping.”

“Great. Fucking great. I’m out of here…” Hans shook his head and inched to the door.

Gustavo hardened his grip on his shoulders. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you. I knew you’d freak out.”

“Who wouldn’t? Just because you’re fed up with life, it doesn’t mean that I am.”

Diego lifted his glass in the air again and said, “Amen to that.”

Gustavo ignored him. He dropped his voice lower as he tried to persuade Hans, “I promise you are safe here. Nothing will happen to you.”

“How can you promise that? You don’t even know how he got in.” Capricious notes made their way into Hans’ voice.

To change the subject, Gustavo whispered, “Gosh, you are gorgeous…”

A haunted look in Hans’ eyes disappeared as he lifted his chin, sprawled his shoulders, and gave Gustavo a totally different look. A small smile touched his lips.

“I’ll make it up to you.” Gustavo kept speaking. His hands caressed Hans’ neck before digging into the soft curls. “What about that new car you wanted?” Hans didn’t reply, but the satisfaction on his face spoke volumes. “Why don’t you go to bed and wait for me there?”

“No…” Hans’ eyes flew open. “Let’s move out? Please?”

“Move out?” Gustavo chuckled at the absurdity of the idea. “Move out where? This is my home.”

“But it gives me chills now. How can I sleep in this house after what happened?” Hans nodded toward the scattered photographs. “You have other places. We can live someplace else. How can you even feel safe here?”

Move out?Gustavo glanced at the wall where his favorite painting hung not long ago, then remembered the note. But if I move out, Loco won’t come anymore.

Before he knew it, he said, “You shouldn’t worry. I’m doubling the guards, resetting the CCTV to the AI, and we’ll have security inside from now on. You have nothing to fear. If he wanted to hurt anyone, he would have done it.”

“I can’t believe you…” Hans wrenched out of his arms, eyes glowing with pure hatred. “I’m out of here. Don’t call me. I don’t want to see you ever again.”

When the door to the office slammed closed, and the windows rattled from the impact, Diego cocked his head, swirled the liquid in the misty glass, then said, “You should hurry up and chase after him, or you’ll have blue balls for weeks.”

“Nah.” Gustavo sighed and looked at the floor, then at the desk. “He’ll be back.”

“How can you be so sure? He looked terrified.”

“What do you think he was doing here?” Diego raised his brow refusing to speculate. “He ran out of money. He was checking if I keep any cash here.”

“Hmm…” Putting the empty glass on the small coffee table, Diego got up. “I’d hate to agree with him, but the kid has a point. Mayr would have slashed your throat today if not for me. What will you do if he comes again?”

“I’ll be waiting,” Gustavo grinned, and his blood warmed with anticipation. “Now, get me a first aid kit, the wound is burning.”

* * *

Seth stood in the basement,the dead arm in his hands. Justin’s rigid fingers slacked as his flesh defrosted. Moving them, toying with them, felt strange as if he was playing with a puppet, not human flesh. With his thumb, he rubbed the small, pale knuckles, and once again thought how delicate Justin had been, how frail, how beautiful. Almost perfect.

He didn’t want to part with Justin, didn’t want to let go of his arm so soon. Still, he tugged a metal tray out of the furnace and placed the arm on it. The yellow and red flames in the depth cheerfully sparked anticipating the feast. They stretched their tongues to the human flesh, and the tiny, light hair on Justin’s arm curled from heat. The nasty smell filled the air.

Seth turned on the air vent, and sent the tray back into the furnace. The fire sparked and attacked the arm. He sighed. Odd jealousy toward the fire poisoned his blood as he watched it consume the last remaining part of his former lover.

He didn’t know how much time passed, but as if paying his last respect, Seth couldn’t move until only ashes remained on the tray. The flame lost its interest in the insubstantial remains and retreated to the back of the furnace.

Seth pulled the tray out and set it aside on a metal workbench. The black ash that painfully resembled the black rust streaming from the top of SkyBlade from his dreams, trapped his eyes. In a trance, he couldn’t blink or swallow. Without registering his actions, he reached his hand toward the steaming pile of ash, scooped a handful, and poured it back onto the tray.

His skin sizzled, but like always, he didn’t feel pain or heat. A powerful jolt of energy bolted through his body, recharging him. Vivid images filled his head, and the next instant, he stood in front of the furnace again, filling the melting chamber with silica sand.

* * *

The long-awaited downpournailed dust and pollen to the ground. The temperature dropped, and for the first time in days, Gustavo opened the windows to let fresh air into the office. It’d been three days since Hans walked out on him. He didn’t call, didn’t show up, but to Gustavo’s surprise, he didn’t miss him all that much because his interest in Seth had acquired the characteristics of an obsession.

He watched the footage of Seth’s invasion about ten times, with every loop getting increasingly intrigued. A billion questions occupied his head to the point he had trouble sitting at home and waiting for Seth to leave his villa.

On the footage, the transparent rectangle moved from building to building. It disappeared and reappeared like a poltergeist. The footage looked manipulated as if someone threw a witness protection filter over the places where Seth appeared, but the expertise he required denied any modification.

To distract himself, he visited the rest of Seth’s projects—viZZion and Breath.

Drastically different from Flames, they still had something in common—glass.

For many, the tall skyscraper viZZion was just another tower, but Gustavo instantly recognized the familiar pattern in the design. Mirrored glass, clear and tanned, began with a checkered pattern, but the higher it went, the darker the colors appeared. Perfect squares changed shape, creating a symmetrically opposite mosaic where birds, black and white, emerged from both sides fitting each other like jigsaw puzzle pieces. Using nothing but glass, Seth transferred the pattern from M. C. Escher’s¹woodcut “Day and Night” onto the building.

Inside viZZion, he found a web of shimmering glass, black spiders hanging from threads with eyeballs instead of their bodies. The sculpture had a tiny title plate stating, “WEB OF EỴES” and Seth’s name, but the glyphic Ỵ and the grunge font that nearly erased the first E in the last word made Gustavo wonder if the real title of this work should have been “WEB OF LIES”.

The third and the last finished project, Breath, presented tall twin towers with smooth, rounded forms and a honeycomb pattern made of glass and metal. On the ground floor, a giant, black rock occupied a deep recess. From afar, it resembled a monolith of obsidian or a meteorite. Eight feet high, three feet wide, the sculpture had three rough faces that looked like unprocessed stone. The front face, opposite the grand entrance, glinted with a mirror-smooth surface. The glass so dark, it reflected everything in front of it. And only those who approached the sculpture and looked in the depth of it could see a hand reaching to the surface from the inside, the air bubbles surrounding thin fingers. Behind the hand, very vague and uneven, a male silhouette drowned in shadows, but Gustavo didn’t have a problem with identifying his gaping mouth and eye sockets. When he stood in front of the sculpture, his face morphed with the silhouette. His eyes disappeared as if gouged out, cheeks hollowed, and a gaping mouth substituted his own. In front of it, a helpless hand reached forward, creating the illusion of him drowning in the glass. A tiny silver plate below the sculpture had Seth’s name and the title “Shallow Depth”.

Seth’s creations haunted Gustavo in his dreams and occupied his days. The last one looked too real, too alive. The thought that a dead body was cast in the glass possessed his mind. Even now, with his shoulder propped against the wall next to the window, he couldn’t chase the image of the drowning hand out of his mind. His gaze traveled over the garden, settled on the river. Above the rippling waters, heavy clouds hung low, but the showers of sunlight still slithered through, casting golden waterfalls over the earth.

If you create things like this for public attention, what do you keep locked in the dark rooms of your house? This is unfair. You came to my home, yet I’ve never been to yours.

He turned to his desk, picked up the phone, and dialed Diego. As soon as the tone died, he said, “Find people who can–”

The door to his office creaked open, and a blond, curly head peeked inside.

“Who can what?” Diego’s voice, coming from the speakers, sounded both amused and puzzled.

Gustavo cleared his throat, watching a shy smile stretch Hans’ lips. “You know what? Forget it. I’ll call you later.”

He terminated the call and crooked a finger at the boy.

White, ankle-length jeans hugged Hans’ hips and thighs, a blue shirt revealed his collarbones, and a dark belt hugged his waist, making it look even more slender. He didn’t wear socks, and Gustavo’s eyes naturally gravitated to the prominent bones of his ankles. Heat washed over his body and concentrated in his groin.

“I thought you didn’t want to see me ever again?” he murmured, lowered into his chair, and rested his back against the cool leather. His elbow found the armrest as his index finger brushed over his lips. Hans looked delicious. The soft curls, Hans always tried to tame with gel, stood out, unruly, as if he’d just left a bed, exactly the way Gustavo liked.

Lips stretching in a shy, guilty smile, Hans ran his palms over his butt and dropped his chin to his shoulder, showing Gustavo his perfect profile. “That was impulsive of me, but you aren’t mad, are you?”

He glanced up and batted his lashes. The pearly rows of his teeth caught his full bottom lip. He acted fake, yet Gustavo couldn’t care less. He carried no illusions about the nature of their relationship. It wasn’t love but a mutually beneficial partnership.

“I won’t be if you ask for my forgiveness nicely.” Gustavo licked his lips, spread his legs wider. With a lift of his chin, he pointed to a place between his legs.

A shadow ran over Hans’ face, but it instantly gave way to a sly smile. The man approached, lowered to his knees with easy grace; his pink tongue wetted his lips in a deliberately slow motion.

“Did you miss me?” Gustavo asked. The back of his index and third fingers ran over Hans’ lips.

“You bet.”

“Show me?” Obediently, Hans opened his mouth, welcoming both fingers with hot wetness. His tongue ran around the nails, and he gave the fingers a teasing suck then a long lick. “Hmm, you really missed me.”

With his fingers, Gustavo scooped some saliva and rubbed it over Hans’ tongue. The velvety surface pleasantly tickled his fingertips.

“Are you hard already?” Hans nodded, his teeth scraping the back of Gustavo’s knuckles. “Show me.”

Slender fingers with pink, polished nails undid the belt with excruciating sluggishness. Every tooth of the zipper came undone with a quiet tick, aiming to tease, intrigue, torture. A smug grin invaded Gustavo’s face when Hans peeled the waist of his jeans a little lower. The zipper teeth strained over his skin, imprinting into the thick base of his erection.

“What a fucking beautiful view,” Gustavo murmured. He ogled Hans’ proud neck, then the protruding collarbones when a glimpse of yellow narrowed his attention to a gold chain hanging around his neck.

Annoyance spiked. Gustavo had never harbored any deep feelings for Hans, had never intended to keep him for long either. Hans was just another beautiful thing added to his collection, hence his attitude, his cupidity never bothered him. But right now, staring at the glimmer of gold, he couldn’t hold back a menacing smile. This chain Gustavo had gifted him months ago. The chain Hans hadn’t worn once, until now.

Without a warning, Gustavo pushed his fingers into Hans’ throat. The boy gagged; his eyes misted as he swallowed against the cruel fingers. A drop of saliva escaped his mouth and rolled down Gustavo’s wrist.

With his other hand, he fisted Hans’ hair, holding his head in place. His fingers slithered deeper, gliding over the smooth tissue of Hans’ throat. The boy groaned, a sharp crease cut his forehead, and he pushed his palms against Gustavo’s knees. His throat convulsed around the fingers and started pulsing. The flood of saliva increased; Hans retched.

Holding his grip a heartbeat longer, Gustavo enjoyed the violent spasms thrashing Hans’ body. The broad chest constricted beneath the blue shirt; liquid dripped from his chin and marred the sharp collar, turning it a few shades darker. Hans glared through tears; his fingers stabbed into Gustavo’s knees as he tried to wriggle away.

Gustavo let go. With a casual gesture, he wiped his hand against his pants as Hans fought a vomiting spasm.

“It pleases me to see you wear my gift. It suits you. But didn’t you say you prefer platinum?” Gustavo undid his pants and took out his heavy cock. He brought his other hand to the boy’s neck, fisted the chain, then yanked him closer. “It’s handy too… Wear it more often for me, would you?” When Hans didn’t reply, Gustavo nodded toward his cock. “Don’t be shy. It won’t suck itself.”

“Why are you mad?” Hans glared. Gustavo grinned as he watched Hans’ true feelings break through the plaster of his mask. Irritation, annoyance, and wounded pride mixed on his face, combining into a poignant cocktail of pure emotion.

“Oh, I’m not. I’m just pent up. Fix it.”

A glare stabbed him, but Hans opened his mouth, and the blissful warmth engulfed Gustavo’s cock. The slick tongue caressed, flicked, teased, and rolled around the sensitive cockhead. Hans’ cheeks hollowed before he let the cock go. Hiding behind his elbow, he wiped his lips against his forearm.

Gustavo knew Hans didn’t like giving a head. The saliva streaming down his chin and dripping over Gustavo’s pants was caused by the boy’s unwillingness to swallow. Being an extremely fastidious person, Hans tried to avoid all kinds of dirty work. It took Gustavo months of encouragement to introduce blowjobs into their sex life, but Hans’ aversion to the act never diminished. Still, there was something refreshing in Hans’ reluctance because every little win filled Gustavo’s heart with triumph. In his thirty-nine years, Gustavo had had many lovers, too many to grow bored of a slutty, willing-to-do-anything attitude. Maybe that was the reason he wanted Hans so badly. Gorgeous and unwilling was a thrilling combination.

“You are so messy… Look what you’ve done.” Gustavo chuckled, eyes locked on the gold chain. It irritated him, provoked him. He didn’t care if Hans liked it or wore it, but the deliberate display when he knew Hans needed money pissed him off. “Don’t tell me you are tired already. Try again, but take it deeper.” Gustavo yanked the chain, forcing his cock into the pulsing throat. “You know what? I don’t have much time today, so why don’t you prepare yourself while your pretty mouth is busy?”

Hans stilled. Gustavo’s smile grew wider.

“No? You refuse my little request?” Gustavo released the gold chain, ran the back of his fingers over Hans’ chin, wiping off the drool. “Too bad. Then you surely won’t refuse a request to swallow, hmm? I do it for you all the time. You can return a favor at least once.”

Gustavo’s heart sped up when he watched Hans peel his jeans lower and rest his ass on top of his heels. Tearing his lips away for a second, he spat on his palm. Gustavo’s breath cut as Hans reached behind himself; a mix of emotions flipped through his face, vividly representing everything he wasn’t saying.

“Don’t forget your main duty,” Gustavo whispered, placed an index finger below the boy’s chin, and urged him closer. “No, look at me. Yes, like this. Fuck, you are so beautiful.”

A confident look returned to Hans’ face, his mood improved, and even the flicks of his tongue became more enthusiastic. Gustavo released a sigh and entwined his fingers with Hans’ soft curls. His annoyance disappeared as he watched the electric-blue eyes ripple with the rudiments of desire. He thought that unlike Hans’ youthful chase for gratification, he’d reached that age when pleasing was nearly as satisfying as receiving pleasure. Right now, he wanted to explore every inch of this perfect body, make it writhe with ecstasy, drown it in euphoria.

“Hans,” He used his most seductive voice as he held the boy’s gaze. “Bend over the desk. Let me watch what you are doing over there, hm?”

Hans swallowed and rose to his unsteady feet. His palms slapped against the desk when he threw a hazy look over his shoulder. Gustavo’s hand reached to his tie and loosened it as swallowing became harder. Hans’ hips met the edge of the desk, and his cock strained back, hooked by the rim.

“Damn, you are so pretty.” Gustavo bent forward and blew at the pink hole. It twitched under his attention. “What a beautiful color.”

“Fuck…” Hans’ hand disappeared between his legs, and he gave himself a few tugs. His eyelids dropped, hips buckled, and he emitted a low groan.

“You love it when I look at you, don’t you?” Hans didn’t reply, but a clear drop of precum leaking out of his slit spoke better than words. Gustavo caught it with his fingers, then licked it off. “Umm, sweet.”

He picked up another drop and got to his feet. His chest fell over Hans’ back as he kissed his nape. Bringing his fingers to Hans’ mouth, he purred, “I’d like you to taste yourself.”

“No, I can’t.” A shudder ran down Hans’ spine. He averted his face. “It’s gross.”

“It’s not.” Gustavo kissed his neck; lips skidded up to his ear. His cock rubbed against Hans’ crack when he whispered into his ear, “Do it for me. Taste yourself, and I will lick every inch of your body.”

Hans wavered. His cheek twitched when he looked at Gustavo’s fingers, then hesitantly wrapped his lips around it. His ticklish tongue blindly poked between the fingers, rubbed against the knuckles but avoided licking the fingertips. Still, to Gustavo, this submission was more than enough.

Wrapping one hand around Hans’ stomach, he unbuttoned his shirt and peeled it off. His lips pressed to the nape of Hans’ neck and skated down his back as he lowered to his knees.

“Let’s try again.” He blew on the pink hole. “Finger yourself, and I’ll help you.”

A shuddering breath resounded in Gustavo’s ears when the boy spread his butt cheeks apart and ran his fingers over his tight entrance. Echoing the movement, Gustavo licked the hole. When Hans’ back arched, he smiled, pressed his mouth to it, and pushed his tongue inside as deep as he could.

Soft walls engulfed his tongue; Gustavo tasted soap. The sphincter let him in without any resistance, suggesting Hans just prepared himself. The gentle tissues pulsed, hugging his tongue as if replying to the kiss, appreciating it. A low moan breached Hans’ lips as he pushed himself backward, spreading his legs wider apart. Both of his index fingers slipped into the hole, and he forced his inner walls apart to show Gustavo the most wonderful view of the deep-pink, pulsing rectum.

Gustavo collected moisture in his mouth, then let it drip from his tongue to the gaping hole. His breath stilled as he watched the clear liquid swirl down Hans’ body. The inner walls spasmed, swallowing it.

“So pretty…” He leaned in and pressed his tongue to the rim, ran it over Hans’ fingers before thrusting it deep inside. When he pulled back, his lips throbbed, and Hans’ anus swelled with pumped blood. The wet gaze over the shoulder pleaded with him, urging him upright. Gustavo turned Hans around, wishing to kiss his wet, slack lips when a hot palm clasped over his mouth.

Gustavo flinched away, then tilted his head. “Hans, it’s getting old.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s your ass I was licking…” Gustavo laughed in disbelief and shook his head. “Just get used to it. It’s a turn-off if I can’t kiss you whenever I want.”

“I’m sorry. I really can’t.”

“Unbelievable…” Gustavo grabbed Hans’ elbow and shoved him around. He pushed the boy against the desk, spat on his cock, and drove himself inside. His desire weakened, and he had to close his eyes to concentrate on the sensation. When he opened them again, his focus settled on the empty place on the wall where his gaze always used to rest. His thoughts automatically shifted to Seth and their small scuffle in the hospital.

Gustavo wondered if Seth was as ardent in bed as he had been in a fight. But when a vivid image of Seth’s corded neck surfaced in his mind, he remembered the words of the submissive boy, Marcel.

“Maybe he is straight or asexual, but I never heard of him getting involved with anyone for more than a few sessions, and none of them included sex.”

Gustavo didn’t want to believe it.

Seth’s art screamed of passion, of love. Gustavo shut his lids, and the pale face surfaced in his memory. The milky skin that looked like it never knew sun, the bluish veins on his neck, the proud position of his head, the eyes glowing with emotion. His cock hardened, balls tightened, and his skin caught on fire. His head fell back as his body remembered the kiss of the knife on his neck.

He wondered how Seth’s mouth would feel on his skin, biting and licking his collarbones, sliding down his stomach, settling over his cock. Seth had such beautiful lips, full and sensual, as if designed to suck a cock.

His stomach contracted, fingers seizing Hans’ flanks. Every cell of his body tensed, and even his teeth buzzed with pressure when his balls tightened and emptied. Blackness overtook his vision when the sweet heat flooded his core, electrifying his nerve endings.

His heated breath ricocheted against Hans’ shoulder blade and washed over his face. Hans straightened up and turned around, eyes sharp and cold.

“You won’t leave me like this, will you? Not after you came inside again…” Gustavo glanced at Hans’ hard-on, then on his pissed-off face.

A chuckle escaped his throat, bringing to Hans’ face a murderous expression. He leaned closer and looked the boy in the eye. “Not if you kiss me.”

Hans swallowed, licked his lips, and carefully pressed his mouth to Gustavo’s.

“That’s a good boy.” Gustavo whispered in between kisses before he lowered to his knees to close his mouth around Hans’ erection.

* * *

Calmness flowed through Seth,as the glass in his hands adopted forms from his mind. Rich colors, sharp spikes, and gentle curves joined together in a monumental art that waited for the final touch.

The days flew by without him leaving his home. The number of empty olive cans drastically increased, and by the end of the week, when it was time to replace the acetone-based solution in the heart jar for the second time, chaos reigned in the basement. Parts of the sculpture lay around, waiting for its creator to combine them in a unique masterpiece.

During the last week, Arnold Alby emailed twice. Despite the casual style of his letters, his careful words carried hints of increasing worry. Seth understood why. Only a month was left until SkyBlade would open its doors for visiting, but he hadn’t presented his sculpture yet, and he was postponing the shipment of the final coat of neodymium glass for the tip of the building.

He couldn’t delay any longer, but a part of him was reluctant to finish the sculpture, the building. The longing had never been this strong before, but the feeling of loss increased. The severed arm made him realize that he had never managed to say his farewell, to watch Justin’s body burn, to let go of the last physical anchor that chained his thoughts to the past and didn’t let him move forward.

The more he thought about it, the stronger Justin’s presence around the house became. The walls closed upon him to the point where he almost felt claustrophobic in his own home. He needed to get Justin out of his system, and he knew only one way to drain his darkness—pain.