They ended up getting Indian which did, in fact, beat them to the loft by a few minutes. It was still warm as they walked into the door and dropped all their stuff down.
“So, hot food or hot shower? You can have hot food and a hot shower later, but you can’t have a hot shower and hot food later, it’ll be cold.”
“Easy choice, then.” Taylor flopped down onto the couch and immediately realized her mistake as the take out was now out of reach on the coffee table.
Alec laughed at her.
“Budge over, I’ll make you a plate.”
“You don’t have to… take care of me like this.” She said in a grumbley voice.
Her normally cascading mane of curls was restrained to a lazy ponytail and she was in a big fluffy hoodie– one of Rachel’s.
“Shut up.” Alec left the chicken and rice alone to kneel on the cushion next to her.
“What’re you–” Taylor yelped as his hand slid under her jacket and shirt, settling cold on her belly. “Oh.”
“Yeah oh.” Alec rolled his eyes as he flexed control of her, getting a good read on her leg nerves and arm nerves before meeting in the middle.
Organs were finicky if he wasn’t completely possessing someone, but this wasn’t hard.
“It’s muscle contractions. Half my power is muscle contractions.” Alec said easily. “Just gotta cause less contractions. This okay?”
Belatedly he realized she might not want him touching her to do it but he’d honestly never met a woman who wouldn’t trade a copped feel for instant pain relief in this situation.
“Yeah.” Taylor slumped against him, forehead clammy on his shoulder. “Thanks.”
“The ibuprofen will kick in soon.” Alec said, nonchalant. “Food is good for that, too, you know ibuprofen will kick your ass if you don’t eat with it.”
“Blegh.” Taylor sat up slightly. “Okay but stay? Your hand feels… nice.”
Alec grinned a little.
“Yeah, I can stay. But I’m not letting the food get cold.” He hooked an ankle around the coffee table and pulled it closer so he could fuck around distributing boxes of food and forks with one hand.
Taylor of course was not hindered in the slightest and had both her hands free. While Alec proved to be hand-eye coordinated just by using one fork to stab into a white carton of meat and rice without holding on to it.
Putting it between his legs helped a little.
“You could feed me.” Alec suggested. “Since I’m unarmed.”
A wiggle of his fingers against her to indicate the ‘arm down’ in question and she giggled, ticklish. Then looked horrified to have done so.
“You’re doing fine on your own.” Taylor said. “But since you’re down an arm from helping me and already rearranging my guts, you can borrow one of– what?”
Alec had choked violently.
He waved her off.
“That’s a– that’s a sex thing. Don’t say it like that.” He coughed, taking a huge drink of water.
“What is?” Wary Taylor.
“Rearranging your guts.” He explained, recovering. “Jesus. Think about the other ways someone might need to be inside you to accomplish that.”
“Oh… thanks, I guess.” Taylor scrunched in on herself, which he felt because her stomach moved. He rubbed the area consolingly.
“It’s fine, just took me off guard. You didn’t know it was slang for a disrespectful fuck.”
Taylor snorted her water.
“God, you didn’t have to get me back. Why’s it gotta be disrespectful?”
“Well, the idea is you’re moving someone’s insides around with your dick. There’s not usually a polite way to do it.”
Taylor wheezed a little.
“Polite sex, jeeze. Pfft. Also, gahhhh I can’t talk about sex with you.” She whined and covered her face.
“You can.” Alec said, amused. “What, I can literally be inside you but talking about sex is too much?”
He had a hundred thousand hangups about fucking but talking about it wasn’t one. Not in the theoretical, at least.
“Don’t say it like that.” Taylor complained.
Alec pointedly twitched everything he could reach in there. Stomach, large intestine, kidneys–
Taylor squirmed.
“Okay, fine, I get it, you’re in there. Stoppit.” She held her breath, cheeks blowing out in an almost-pout. “And here I was going to offer for you to use one of my arms to eat.”
“Nah, I’m fine.” Alec laughed. “But thanks for offering to lend me a hand.”
“You’re the worst.” Taylor complained. “Today sucks.”
“Does it still? I should try harder.” Alec shifted to get a little more comfortable. He was sitting normally on the couch, Taylor half-pressed against his side with his arm around her and palm against her belly.
She finally seemed relax.
“If you try any harder you’ll strain something.” She said tiredly. “And… thanks again.”
“If you fall asleep you can’t take a shower.” He reminded her. Taylor kept her eyes closed stubbornly.
“Can too.” She said nonsensically under her breath, contrary just to be contrary.
“I’m not helping you with that, bug, you’d never let me live it down. If you want somebody to wash your hair, you’ll have to ask Lisa.”
Or Rachel, who was used to bathing unruly long-haired creatures, but comparing Taylor to a dog was a great way to get his ass beat.
“But your hair is curly too.” She said, still with that hint of whine. “You know how to wash it.”
“True.” Alec said, amused despite himself. “Do you want me to wash your hair, Taylor? You’d have to be naked for it.”
“Bleh.”
Alec tried so hard not to laugh and ended up shaking with it.
She was in such a cute mood, draped over him like this. Miserable and not-quite-in-pain anymore but wanting comfort.
“Will you be naked too?” She asked, almost entirely asleep before jerking, a bit of panic running through her nerves. “Fuck, nevermind, I did not just say that.”
“You didn’t.” Alec agreed, trying to stop smiling so much before he got smacked.
“Shut up forever.” Taylor blushed hard and hid her face in his shoulder.
He ended up turning and pressing his mouth to her temple in an almost kiss.
“You’re so much taller than me, look at you like this.” Alec mused. “Do you like the cessation of cramps or am I just a really good pillow?”
“Both, but don’t let it go to your head.” Taylor sighed. “I think the ibuprofen has kicked in enough that I can stand up long enough to take a shower, now.”
Tellingly she made no move to get up.
“Afraid if you move my hand you’ll get more cramps?”
She nodded.
“I don’t need to be touching you, it’s just easier. More fine control.” Alec said. “Proximity and all that. I can probably keep it up when you’re in the shower.”
“But you’d be ‘looking.’” She mumbled.
It took him a minute to place the terminology.
He snorted.
“Like you’re not looking with your bugs all the time.” He pushed some of her sweaty hair back, that had escaped. “I’m really not paying the kind of attention you think I am. It’s just a body.”
“Yeah but you get feedback.”
“So? I’ll feel the pain if it starts up again, and know when and where to poke.”
“You’ll feel… soap. And where I’m cleaning.”
“Jesus, Tay, I’m not making it a horny thing. I won’t pass out from the secondhand feel of a loofah on your soapy tits.”
Her face burned red.
“Shut up, oh my god. I never said that.”
“I’m not perving on you.” He said with exasperation. “If you want, I’ll hop in the shower with you and keep my hand right where it is. It’ll be fantastically awkward for both of us, you more than me, but we’ll be clean and you’ll be safe from cramps.”
Taylor’s embarrassment was so loud he was feeling it in his own body, which was crazy since he maybe got 20% of it.
“No, that’s not… necessary.” She squeaked. “Oh, my god. Today is a fever dream.”
“It’s fine.” Alec sighed. “C’mon, let’s just… I’ve got an idea.”
He did keep his hand pressed to her belly as they walked, which involved an almost coupley-cutsey pose, and then she freaked out again when they got to the bathroom.
“I’ll just sit against the wall and not look.” He explained. “Close enough for fine control, not so close I need to take my clothes off.”
“Gnn.” Taylor said, before inhaling. “Won’t that be… really boring?”
“I have my phone.” Amusing again.
“Okay but… step out while I get the shower running and get undressed?”
“The door is not going to stop me from ‘seeing’ what you’re doing.” He reminded.
“It’s the illusion of privacy.” Taylor said primly, and he sighed before walking out into the hallway and obligingly closing the door behind him. He did glance at his phone while she stripped, changed tampons and turned the shower on.
Alec felt the cold water hit Taylor’s skin and jumped with her.
“You could have waited for it to warm up!” He bitched, as he re-entered the room. She’d folded her clothes up and put them on the toilet, once more hiding her underwear in the jeans like he hadn’t literally carried them across town.
“I panicked! It’s getting warm, now, anyway.”
Alec slid down the wall to sit on the floor, phone in hand. He checked on her uterus, which was fine and not clenching too tightly yet. Forced it to relax a little.
“I keep telling you I’m not going to like, sniff your panties or whatever.” Alec said. “You don’t have to pretend you don’t have them.”
“Alec!” Taylor hissed. “Shut up about my underwear already.”
“You’re the one who keeps shoving them deep in your jeans like a dirty little secret. Everyone wears underwear, Taylor. Well, most people.”
“That doesn’t mean I want people to see them.”
“You weren’t wearing a bra?” He asked curiously.
“I’m going to strangle you.”
“What for? I’ve been the picture of helpful today.” He rolled his eyes. “And if you were going to kill me, you’d use some creative assortment of insects, I’m sure.”
“I’m not going to kill you.” Taylor muttered darkly. “The strangling will be satisfying and brief. Make me feel better”
“Kinky.”
“Gahhhh!” She sounded pissed and he couldn’t help it– he laughed loud and bright.
The distraction was taking her mind off everything, which was helping.
“You shouldn’t actually, though.” He said, a few moments later.
“Hmm?”
“Strangling. Auto-erotic asphyxiation. Choking someone during sex. It’s not safe.” Despite his attempts to keep it light, his tone fell a little flat. “I don’t know what it’s called, but you can choke someone and they feel fine afterwards, then hours or days later they just… fucking die.”
“Oh.”
“Shit, sorry.” Alec ran a hand through his hair, eyeing the search results on his phone. “Apparently it’s called delayed fatal airway collapse. That’s fucking cheerful. Anyway, don’t choke people for fun. Or during sex, I guess.”
“N-noted.” Taylor said.
“I know you weren’t really going to strangle me.” He said, breathing out heavily. “Just, a thing. That I know.”
“Has that… happened?” She asked, quiet and a bit hesitant.
“Not from me.” Alec said, shortly. He closed his eyes. “I mean, I wasn’t the one who… did the choking.”
A tense, quiet beat punctuated by the open and closing pop of the body wash.
“… If I was Lisa or Rachel, I could try to distract you with, how did you put it? Secondhand feedback of loofah on soapy b-breasts.”
“I said ‘tits’ and you know it.” Alec snorted despite himself. “And why would you need to be them? Not that I’m suggesting it, mind you. That’d be crass.”
“I don’t… “ Taylor pulled her irritation close and wore it like a shroud. “I don’t exactly have anything worth passing out from horniness over here, Alec.”
She soaped off with harsh, methodical motions, not even trying to savor anything.
Alec turned to look, seeing her silhouette behind the shower curtain.
“Are you seriously being self conscious about your tits right now?”
“Are you sure it’s not safe for even a little strangling?” She demanded.
He burst out laughing.
“Maybe if you’re very gentle.” Alec said, running his tongue over his lip. “But that kind of defeats the purpose of doing it for catharsis.”
“It would be plenty cathartic.” Taylor muttered aggressively. “Or maybe I could…” She sighed. “No, this is still joking, I can’t hurt you. And if I could, hurting you wouldn’t make me feel better.”
“Brian puts me in a headlock sometimes and that makes him feel better.” Alec offered.
“Yeah, and you’re both laughing, and it’s cute as fuck. But it would be weird if I play wrestled with either of you.”
“Would not.” Alec denied at once. “Try it sometime. I promise to ‘play’ just as cute with you as I do with Brian. I don’t pick favorites.”
Taylor was blushing for some reason.
“See, you did just fine distracting me.” Alec kicked a foot out, wiggling it back and forth against the sink cabinet. “Although, I like to think I’m not shallow enough to be, hmm, diverted by anything so plebian as a soapy chest, regardless of whose it is.”
“I’d get distracted by Lisa or Rachel’s soapy chest.” Taylor said defensively. “That’s just… that’s just normal.”
“Mm.” Alec briefly considered making a group chat of his own without Taylor to tell the other girls that. Lisa would probably explode.
“Brian’s tits aren’t nice enough to distract you?” He probed, admittedly curious.
Taylor blushed louder and stammered some.
Normally he wouldn’t bring himself into something like this but with the group chat…. Hmm.
“What about me?” Alec teased. “Is that the real reason you didn’t want me in the shower with you? Soapy femboy chest would have you acting up?”
“Alec! I– you– femboy, Jesus.”
He was starting to really like hearing her say his name in that scandalized tone of voice.
Alec was glad the joke carried through, he was a little worried about leading them on in the wrong way, since they… already were interested.
“And then we come back to you, of course.” Alec said. “Tits are tits, size really doesn’t come into it.”
“I’m not talking about this with you.”
“I’ll add it to the list of banned subjects,” He said, smiling. “C’mon, your chest is as nice as anybody else’s.”
“You don’t have to… lie to make me feel better.” Taylor sounded grumpy.
“I’m really not.” Alec said. “Ask me some other time when you’re not naked, and it won’t make you uncomfortable. I’ll tell you about how small tits are often more sensitive and fun to play with.”
“Jesus.” Taylor sucked in air, squeezing her eyes closed.
She rubbed her thighs together and Alec realized he’d gone too far, on account of now she really did feel a little turned on.
He was too busy being bewildered to feel regret or apprehension, strangely enough. He wasn’t even undressed? He wasn’t touching her? She just liked listening to him talk?
It wasn’t even proper dirty talk.
A wave of somewhat shame went through her as she realized Alec could probably feel or notice her body’s reaction and he briefly considered reassuring her. But pointing it out would make it worse, probably, and he just…
He didn’t want to do it.
It’s not like she had a dick to get hard, they could both pretend he hadn’t noticed the more subtle signs of arousal.
Her little tits were tipped with hard nipples and for a moment he wasn’t… who he was… and it was just effortlessly exciting. No strings or baggage attached, just a pretty girl with a chest he wanted to worship with his mouth.
Alec closed his eyes and tipped his head against the drywall.
Fuck.
Taylor reached a shaky hand for the shampoo and started her hair routine. Since it was getting wet, she pretty much had to.
“You want me to pass you the wide-bristled brush?” He asked, headed to safer waters.
“Please.” She said.
Taylor, like Alec, did have curly hair, but it was much, much longer. She brushed it out while it had conditioner in it and then moved the shower curtain aside while reaching for her towel out of sheer habit.
Alec slammed his eyes closed.
“Didn’t see anything.” He said quickly.
“I… just hand me the towel, please? I’ve only got about five minutes before blood gets everywhere again.”
Alec handed her a towel which she wrapped around her body and bit his lip at the feeling of soft cotton on all her softer places.
Horrifically he was a little turned on and while normally he handled that by just– coping– and it wasn’t a big deal at all, for some reason it felt… different.
Knowing that they wanted him.
Taylor didn’t act any different, though, despite the low kernels of arousal and shame in her. She didn’t even look at him, though she had to be wondering if he was affected.
Well, given her baffling levels of self-consciousness, maybe she didn’t think he’d… what, appreciate the stolen glimpse?
Even just sitting next to her when she was wearing a towel was distracting, though he would have sworn it wouldn’t have bothered him if you asked yesterday.
It was just bodies.
The quarter-chub felt like such a betrayal. Alec was going to be having strong words with his dick later.
“You can use some of my curl cream.” Alec murmured, as she wiped steam off the mirror. “I noticed you were running low.”
“Thanks. I don’t really want to defuse it.” She used the second towel to roughly dry her hair in a way that had him wince, but unlike his short curl situation, if she didn’t wring the extra water out they’d never dry.
She scrunched the curls with the towel until it was mostly just damp and then used his curl cream, working it in.
It was interesting in a strange way to know that she was going to smell like him.
“Finger curls?” he asked curiously. “I don’t have to do all this with mine.”
“Yeah, yours is so much shorter.” Taylor said absently. “Actually, wait, how long is it when it’s wet?”
“Why, Taylor, you’re getting metaphors mixed. It’s supposed to be how long is it when it’s hard— nng.” She kicked his leg.
“I don’t know, a few inches? I look like a wet dog when it’s straight-ish and wet.”
“You… I wanna see that.” Taylor bit her lip.
Oh, right. They thought he was ‘cute’ and yelled about it.
“If your cramps are still bothering you next time you shower, just invite me in.” Alec said, half a dare. “I’ll keep my hand on your stomach and you can wash my hair.”
Taylor blushed to her hairline.
Her skin was already a soft pink from the heat of the water.
In just a towel, he could see her blush go down her neck… and to the tops of her breasts.
Alec’s eyes darkened.
He took a breath and closed his eyes. Jesus. This was a stupid idea. Stupid libido and stupid teenager decisions.
He’s not immune to pretty teammates naked or wrapped like a present in a towel, just because he hates sex. Stupid, to have forgotten.
“Maybe we can just hit up a pool instead.” Taylor blurted. “That way, nobody has to be… well, naked.”
“Sure, Tay.” Alec relaxed a little. “That does sound better. You can see my hair when it’s wet, and nobody has to get naked.”
She smiled at him, somewhat wobbly, and Alec remembered the line that had been haunting him. But Alec’s not into kissing or sex. ‘That kind of thing.’
Maybe they really believed it.
Hell, it was probably half the reason Taylor was willing to wander around in a towel around him. She thought she was safe.
Something ugly flipped in his stomach.
He smiled back.
“Speaking of nakedness, you should get dressed and come back to the couch. You can hang out with me all afternoon and feel much better about the day.”
“Okay.” Taylor’s smile became more real. Her eyes were wide and she clutched her towel a little tighter, not out of worry from him but worry that it would slip.
She was so shy and yet not worried at all, here.
That was… good.
Alec stood up and ended up closer to her than planned– it was a small bathroom– and stepped closer just a little, touching her arm. Not as good as the stomach but close enough.
He forcibly relaxed the problematic organ again.
Then, apparently fucking possessed, he leaned in and kissed her bare shoulder.
“I’ll um. Be waiting outside.” He mumbled quietly and exited with his heart racing.
–
So, the thing is, Alec will be the first to admit he’s fairly fucked up, like, in general. It would be impossible to grow up the way he did and be alright in the head.
Which means he’s not the best at understanding people. He likes to think he can get a pretty good read on those around him, if only out of self-preservation, but anything more than surface level reasoning is kind of… well, he often attributes darker motivations to people than not.
It’s a great survival mechanism because if people are doing things out of altruism or other weirdass shit, it’s a pleasant surprise, and if they weren’t, he’s ready.
The group chat is like a cheat code. Like checking the wiki for answers on a game. He can try saying shit, or doing shit, and not have to wonder how one of his teammates feels about it
He can check the after-action report and actually find out.
And the thing is… what he learns is that they like him.
Okay, yes, they were thirsty over him and some strange level of finding his flaws endearing, which is probably a kink thing, but beyond that they seem to just… genuinely enjoy his company?
Even when he’s a dick to them, which happens even if he’s not particularly trying, they just. They like him?
Why the fuck do they like him?
It’s giving Alec a complex. It’s started to affect his behavior. He knows things now and it’s hard not to act on them. Like, if he wants to be a bit more touchy, there’s the undercurrent of knowledge that not only would they not mind that, they’d probably jerk off about it later or whatever.
‘Today Alec leaned against me, he’s so cute, I’m gonna jerk off about it’ or whatever they yelled to each other about.
He just… had to be careful not to take it that far, that’s all. He didn’t want them to think he was interested or… anything.
The idea of being a body used for them to get off with was not appealing. It made his tongue feel heavy and weird.
It probably wouldn’t be that bad, it was always more decent with people that liked him a little, and the Undersiders seemed to like him a lot. So they’d probably be… nice about it. Or whatever.
As nice as you could be, fucking into someone to chase pleasure.
Anyway, Alec didn’t want it, and the best way not to even invite that situation was to not lead anyone on, or give mixed signals. They even seemed to notice, in that chat. Would repeat that he wasn’t into ‘that kinda thing’, kissing, romance, sex, whatever.
It felt… strange. That they saw that.
That they almost respected it? Even when they wanted him?
But they still wanted to fuck, so if he opened that door even a little, he’d be stuck in a horrible situation and he’d rather walk into traffic.
So, Alec had to tread carefully, but other than that he could… relax, a little. Get closer. Enjoy spending time with them.
And okay maybe he could tease them but the second it got to the point of them complaining about it, about him being a tease, he’d stop.
Before anything happened.
And the groupchat was a good litmus test of what was too far.
It was also pretty nice knowing their motivation for stuff, previously hard to figure out. They seemed to like bringing him things, Brian especially, though Lisa would press a kiss to his curls when walking by and Rachel would sit with her feet in his lap watching him play games.
“Do you want a turn?” He asked Taylor, who unlike Rachel tended to sit just a little far away from him, a full handswidth away like she was afraid to get within touching range.
“No.” She said, more chill than normal but still with that unwavering intensity. Like she deeply considered it and had dismissed the notion.
Questions had at one point gotten him slapped across the mouth, if he dared to voice any at all, but the Undersiders had never complained so he was trying it more. He’d always gone for lightly joking probing in the past that could be laughed off with no one the wiser if they got pissed but actually asking was… well.
“Do you like watching me play?”
Taylor’s cheeks gained the slightest touch of color, so faint he might have imagined it if he didn’t know she was one of the most vocal about how unfairly pretty his face was.
If he didn’t have that access to their thoughts, he’d have never known that one. Is this what being a Thinker was like? Taylor’s outward persona and the things she said in the chat were like night and day.
“Y-yes.” Which he interpreted as she liked watching him, alright. Still, staring at him from a respectable difference wasn’t the weirdest way he’d ever been perved on so he didn’t even mind.
Now, if she started huffing his dirty boxers, that would… be kinda hot, actually. God. Serious, straight-laced Taylor so into him that she’d do something degrading.
Hm.
“Do you care what game it is, or do you just like watching me play games and look pretty?”
And sometimes it was hard not letting on that he knew.
As if they hadn’t spent a full day last week talking about how, apparently, his tongue poked out a little bit when he was concentrating hard on something, and they took a vow of silence to never tell him in case he stopped.
Fucking pervs, all of them.
“I– I don’t–” Taylor stuttered and Alec laughed, waving it off.
“I know what I look like, don’t worry.” A month ago it would have been a joke, an unserious implication that she was into his looks, and one that would have been ironic since they both knew she wasn’t.
Now, though. Now they both knew she was into him.
“Ass.” Taylor huffed, looking away. She edged her foot over and kicked him a little. And before the chat, he would have taken it as a successful joke, but now he knew she was actually into him.
And knowing that, it was real easy to push past the unaffected outward vibe she had and pull her feet into his lap, like Rachel often sat, draped over things.
Things, people, dogs. Rachel liked puppy piles and skin contact and wasn’t shy about it, though it was only relatively recently that she’d started including Undersiders.
“Hey–” Taylor started, alarmed, but Alec patted her ankle. She ended up laying down on the couch.
“Just don’t kick me in the nuts when you move and it’s fine.” Alec said.
“‘m not gonna kick you.” Taylor grumbled, chin in her chest. Alec tossed the afghan from the back of the couch onto her.
“You will if you flail around or try to move your feet too much.” He said. “Get comfortable otherwise, though, this next run is going to take around forty minutes. You good?”
“Yeah, I’ll… stay.” Taylor arranged the blanket, drawing it up over her chin and just stared at him some more. Her mouth went a little slack.
Alec felt himself trying to blush and took some slightly deeper than average breaths.
God, she was not subtle, how had he previously attributed this to her normal weirdness!? Like she was deep in thought and just happened to be looking at him, or if he was a puzzle she wanted to solve.
Actually that last bit might still be true, it’s just that… she also had a crush on him.
Taylor liked him, she liked his company, she wanted to be close to him… it was a fantastically less likely option than that she was staring at him like a gross thing on her shoe, which is what he’d thought before reading that she wanted to cuddle with him and possibly sleep wrapped up in his arms.
The thing was… Alec wasn’t necessarily opposed to that.
Sleeping with another person– just sleeping– was a luxury he was rarely afforded. Something from when he was too little to fuck and one of father’s thralls didn’t mind a small body sniffling in next to her.
He’d… maybe try it. Based on what any of them said, they’d be happy to find him sneaking into their bed at night, and maybe they’d be alright– we know he’s not into that kind of thing— if he didn’t want to fuck.
He’d just have to. Fuck. He’d have to make it real clear, and the idea of saying no to something historically did not work out well for him.
It was hard getting over years of lessons on that front.
Maybe if he wore jeans or something, hard to get off? No, that was weird, nobody slept in jeans.
For a moment he imagined wearing the full Regent regalia, long-boots and all, and snorted.
Yeah, as if any amount of armor mattered if someone really wanted to fuck you.
Alec snorted a bit as he imagined one of those cages, not for chastity play or whatever but to protect his dick. Hey, don’t worry, I can’t get hard for completely out-of-my-own-control reasons, so don’t worry about it…
As if.
His dick was hardly ever a factor in someone fucking him, anyway.
Ugh, depressing thoughts. Well, mostly entertaining, but still a depressing bent, why was he thinking about sex anyway?
A faint pink crept into his cheeks as he imagined, for some strange reason, the group chat talking about that. It was dumb, they rarely ever talked about more than kissing him, even if they implied a lot with how ‘crazy’ he drove them, and he imagined there was a lot of self-pleasure involved as they waxed poetic about his knees or whatever.
With his luck they’d like the cage, smile and nod to his face, then go yell in their little cum chat. Which is– weird? They might not even say anything to him.
There was a distance there, a strange gap between them wanting him and actually expressing it.
Say completely deranged things like look how cute his cock is, look how pink his balls are, that kind of… nonsense type stuff they said… they seemed to find every other part of him cute, including his snores, so why not his dick!?
And he’s not into that kind of thing, while nice in theory, wouldn’t protect him if he showed any kind of interest, Alec knew that much. They weren’t saints.
And surely all the complements wouldn’t actually extend to the sex itself? It’d be all grunting, and satisfaction that he was finally putting out, not… any of the other stuff they said.
They didn’t talk about how cute he was to his face. There’s no way they would… compliment him in bed or whatever, that was… ridiculous.
He kept having the strangest flashes of fantasy, lips at his ear saying nice things, not even particularly gross, or hands on him– so many hands– not asking for anything or even using him, just appreciating.
Oh, god, he had to stop before he poked Taylor in the foot or something.
Alec shifted his weight and paid more attention as they got closer to the boss fight of the run.
He’d never actually worn a cage, actually, though he’d seen a few being worn, making it one of the few things he hadn’t tried out of curiosity as a kid.
Even then he’d feared that someone would overpower him and take the key, and then he’d be truly fucked, possibly literally if they wanted to pass him around, and probably subject to a torture campaign of weeks or months until they got tired of teasing him, if they ever did.
So, no, the idea that he could wear one and somehow get petted and appreciated naked without anyone going for his dick was, of course, stupid. If he got naked with them, he was getting something in a hole, full stop.
Even if it might be kinda nice to hear someone say good things about him. Even in that context. Mostly he’d heard it all, about being pretty or tight or small or whatever it was.
I think it’s fucking me up that their simping is about me, not necessarily how I look, Alec thought idly as his fingers mashed controller buttons.
It was a strange distinction to make but once he’d realized it… yeah, they weren’t just blowing off steam about how pretty he was. They just.
Alec’s cheeks colored ever so faintly.
They just really liked him.
For some fucking reason. And yeah he could, theoretically, ruin it on accident by being too himself, or too gross, or too Heartbroken, but it hadn’t happened yet and every complaint about that kind of thing so far in their chat was still fond.
Taylor made a noise, rousing him from the circles his brain was going in.
It wasn’t quite a laugh or a snort, she was quieter than that, but the soft huff drew his attention.
“Funny meme?”
“No, texting.” Taylor’s shoulders hunched a little on instinct and he took a moment before opening a loot chest to rub a thumb over her ankle. She relaxed a little.
“Who’s got you smiling like that?”
“… Lisa.” Taylor said after a beat.
Oh, she was totally in the fucking group chat right now and Alec couldn’t even see it. Rude.
“What’d she say?”
Strong hesitancy and then a bit of resolve.
“She asked what I was up to, and I said I was… in your lap.” Alec missed a shot, corrected quickly, and ganked a motherfucker.
He laughed.
“Teasing our beloved Thinker with technicalities, Tay? For shame.”
“Well, it is technically true.” Taylor mumbled, amused. “She’s cussing a lot. I think she wishes she was here instead of out.”
Taylor paused for a bit longer this time. As if she wasn’t sure she should be saying what she was saying.
“She says you’re adorable when you get caught up in a game.”
“You’re talking about me?” Surprised, even now.
And more importantly you’re admitting it!?
“Mm.” Taylor didn’t say anything more, likely worried about betraying confidences.
“Adorable.” Alec shook his head, finished a rather disappointing boss, and tossed his controller aside. “I’m not adorable.”
“Mmm.” Taylor made a skeptical noise. “You kinda are, sorry.”
The afghan was close to her nose and muffled her words as she ducked into it, shy.
God, she could talk about how much she wanted to kiss him to other people but could barely speak to him in person!? This was why he thought Taylor could barely tolerate him for like, months!
“… You really wanna fuck with her?” Alec’s lips curled up, mischievous.
“Lisa?” Taylor blinked up at him. “Sure, I guess. How?”
“Sit up, I’ll show you.”