The Academy

by Quinn Anderson

  Sebastian wanted to draw this out, savor it, but the noise from the party on the other side of the door served as a reminder that they needed to be fast. He moved the way he did when he was getting himself off: quick and loose with a little squeeze when he reached the head. Nick seemed to eat it up, judging by the honeyed sounds that poured from him in time with Sebastian’s hand.

  Honestly, Sebastian felt like he could come from that alone, but then Nick made a strangled noise.

  “Fuck, Seb.” His breathing was ragged. “So good. Can I— I need—”

  Sebastian nodded, too far gone for words.

  Nick moved his hips in time with Sebastian’s strokes. Nothing but little rocking motions at first, but as they fell into a rhythm, his motions grew more confident.

  Sebastian swore under his breath and tried to hold on. Nick had felt amazing nudged up against him before, but now with sweat, pre-come, and his thrusts in the mix, Sebastian was seeing stars. He gripped one of Nick’s thighs and concentrated on keeping his rhythm, but with Nick on top of him, practically riding him, it was impossible to think.

  The moaning wasn’t helping either. Nick hadn’t been kidding when he said he wasn’t quiet. It wasn’t the volume so much as the deep, wanting quality his voice took on. Sebastian swore he could almost hear Nick getting close.

  His own orgasm was looming over him. When Nick leaned down for a sloppy kiss—all desire and no coordination—it was almost too much.

  The closer Nick got, the less room Sebastian had to maneuver. He released their dicks and gripped Nick’s hips, letting him move how he wanted to. And Nick did, sliding their cocks together with single-minded purpose. The clumsy desperation behind every motion made it hard for Sebastian to breathe. This was so like penetrative sex—all thrusting and slick bodies—but the pleasure was vastly different. Shallower, but needy. Immediate.

  Nick’s groans were getting louder, too loud. Sebastian covered Nick’s mouth with his. If he didn’t, someone was going to hear them for sure.

  Goddamn. If this is how he reacts to a little frottage, I can’t wait to get him naked.

  “Seb, I’m close.” Nick spoke against his mouth, murmuring despite how loud he was being otherwise.

  “Me too.” Sebastian had been on the edge for what felt like years. The tension mounting in him was unbearable. He was going to burst if something didn’t give soon, and Nick was everywhere. On top of him. All around him. The smell of his sweat and whatever soap Nick used was in Sebastian’s nose, the taste of his skin on Sebastian’s tongue. He was drowning, and he never wanted it to stop.

  Nick made a noise that was part gasp and part sob and started moving faster. “Seb, I—” A tremor worked through his whole body. “Oh God, I want to— You—”

  All Sebastian did was slide a hand down Nick’s back and grab a handful of his ass, and Nick came unraveled. He thrust hard against Sebastian a few more times before he came to a shuddering halt. Despite his earlier noise, his orgasm was silent, right up until the end, when he made the smallest, most broken sound and breathed, “Christ, Seb.”

  Sebastian had held on until then, but at his name, he fell apart. He shoved a hand between them and barely touched his cock before he orgasmed with such force, the room went black.

  He babbled jumbled syllables that might’ve been Nick’s name, if it’d been fed through a paper shredder and then glued back together at random. The heel of his hand found its way into his mouth, and he bit the hell out of it in his attempt to keep quiet. And all the while, pleasure worked through him, deep and sharp.

  When it was over, Sebastian fell back against the bed, boneless and panting, eyes closed. The mattress depressed next to him, presumably from Nick’s limp body. Sebastian had no idea how long they lay there, but when his heart rate returned to a semblance of normalcy, he forced an eye open.

  Nick was, in fact, lying on his side next to Sebastian, eyes lidded and his mouth slack as he breathed deeply. Sebastian was rendered momentarily speechless from watching him: sweaty and disheveled and . . . gorgeous.

  After a second, however, Sebastian shifted, and his attention diverted to his sticky clothes. And body. And pretty much everything. No amount of cleaning up could hide what they’d done.

  “Fuck,” he said to himself without emotion.

  Nick jolted up next to him. “Are you okay?”

  Sebastian lolled his head toward him. “I’m great. Why?”

  Nick looked him up and down, as if checking for signs of trauma. “You swear? Should we not have done this?” He reached out like he was going to touch Sebastian’s face, but he stopped shy of it, hand hovering uncertainly.

  Sebastian snorted. “You’re adorable. Everything’s fine, I swear. Better than fine, actually. That was . . .” He blew out a breath. “Yeah. I feel great.”

  Nick relaxed infinitesimally. “No regrets?”

  “I regret not taking our clothes all the way off. I was too caught up in the moment to think it through.” He gestured to his jeans, which were sporting an impressive assortment of fluids. “Now we’re going to have to change.”

  Nick glanced down at himself. His clothing hadn’t ended up much better. “Oh shit. I didn’t consider that.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Sebastian grinned. “You were a little preoccupied, what with humping me and all.”

  Nick’s face turned red in a blink, like a flash sunburn. “Sorry. I got a little carried away.”

  “No need to apologize. A little frottage never hurt anyone. And I meant it when I said I feel great. I’ve never . . .” He chewed on his lip.

  “What?”

  Sebastian debated with himself before looking Nick in the eyes. “It’s never been like this before. Sex, I mean. After, I usually can’t wait to shower and kick the guy out. But now, I’m considering ditching my own party and staying in here all night with you.”

  Nick’s flush deepened. “Since when are you so sentimental?”

  “I guess you bring it out in me. What was with you calling me Seb, by the way? You never call me that.”

  Nick laughed. “I hate to break this to you, babe, but your name so doesn’t pass the can-you-moan-it-in-bed test.”

  Sebastian squawked. “It does so!”

  “Uh, no. Way too many syllables, and I really didn’t want to start picturing the singing crab in the middle of sex.”

  In lieu of a response, Sebastian grabbed one of his pillows and hit Nick square in the face with it. Nick toppled over like a Jenga tower and giggled. Sebastian scrambled on top of him and pretended to press the pillow over his face. Nick’s muffled laughter continued, and then he flipped Sebastian over, grabbed the pillow, and tossed it away.

  Sebastian snorted as well. Although, when he realized they were both still partially undressed and were now in the same position they’d been in a minute ago, his mirth died in his throat.

  Nick’s expression sobered too, as if he’d realized the same thing. Slowly, he put a hand on either side of Sebastian’s head. He leaned down, and it seemed as if he was going to kiss Sebastian.

  At first, Sebastian thought nothing of it, but then icy understanding swept over him.

  If he kisses me, I win the bet. I’d almost forgotten about it.

  Sebastian thought back on their sex. Had there really been no point whatsoever in which Nick had kissed him first? Sebastian raced through his own memories and came up blank. Nick had kissed his face and his neck, but at no point had he initiated an on-the-lips kiss. Fucking technicalities.

  How much do I still care about the bet honestly? Should I come clean right now, or let this happen and beg for forgiveness later? Is it already too late? But we just had sex. That would be the worst timing ever. I could lose Nick and the trophy. The hunk of plastic that has no value to anyone but me. The thing that started it all.

  The idea was paralyzing. Before Sebastian could decide what to do, Nick stopped his slow descent, eyes studying Sebastian’s face from inches away. “We need to get out of thi
s room, or we really will be in here all night. Fun as that sounds, you can’t disappear from your own party.”

  Sebastian nodded. “You gotta get off me, then.”

  Nick did, rolling off the bed and standing up. He pulled his jeans up but didn’t button them. “Can I borrow some clothes? Maybe some sweats, since you’re skinnier than I am?”

  “Everyone’s going to notice the wardrobe change.” But Sebastian pointed to a drawer in his bureau anyway.

  “We’ve been in here for like half an hour. There’s no saving face now.” As Nick dug through Sebastian’s drawer, he sighed. “I’ll deal with it somehow.”

  “Is it really so bad? Having people know we’re a thing?”

  Nick shrugged without looking at him. “Seems a little fast to me, is all. But it’s going to depend on how things turn out.”

  Misery threaded itself through every inch of Sebastian. Not because Nick still doubted him, but because he had every right to. Sebastian had never regretted keeping a secret from someone so much in his life. When he told Nick the truth, what then? Would this be over right as things were looking up?

  Words tingled on the tip of Sebastian’s tongue, but he held back. He moved over to the closet to get some distance, both physical and mental. Nick’s been through enough. I don’t want to ruin his night any more than I already have. We’ll go back to the party, we’ll enjoy this time together, and then tomorrow, I’ll deal with this mess I’ve made.

  He pulled on clean jeans—not skinny jeans—along with a black shirt. As he stripped, he made no move to cover himself. Nick was silent behind him, but Sebastian could feel his eyes on him as he got down to his underwear, threw the messy clothes in his hamper, and then yanked on the new ones.

  Under other circumstances, it probably would have been hot, having Nick watch him. Sebastian might have even done a little striptease for him. But right now, it made him feel vulnerable. Exposed. He dressed as quickly as he could without tripping himself and then turned around. “Ready?”

  Nick nodded. “After you.”

  Sebastian unlocked the door, and they emerged from his room. Sebastian almost told Nick to wait a few minutes before following after him, but Nick was right. That ship had sailed.

  The party was precisely as they’d left it. People were dancing, and liquor was flowing. The door to the balcony was open. A deluge of people had spilled out onto it.

  No one paid them any mind as they emerged. Sebastian found his drink where he’d left it on a table. It was way watered down now, but he took a big gulp anyway.

  Nick appeared next to him a moment later. He glanced at his own cup only to frown. “Is it cool if I make a new drink?”

  “Help yourself.” Sebastian smacked his lips. “Actually, I’m coming with you.”

  They made it halfway to the dining room before Dante and Theo appeared in front of them. Judging by the sweat on both their brows, they’d been on the dance floor.

  “There you guys are.” Theo fell into step beside Nick. “I was worried about you when you stormed off. I thought maybe you’d killed Sebby and then climbed out a window. If you’d run away to Mexico without me, I’d be really hurt.”

  Sebastian sighed. “Don’t call me Sebby.”

  Dante gave them a once-over and whistled. “Lookin’ a little worse for the wear, Seb. Were you guys fighting or fu—”

  Theo elbowed him in the side, and he fell silent.

  Red in the face once more, Nick cleared his throat. “We’re about to freshen up or drinks. You want anything?”

  “Nah.” Theo shrugged. “I did tequila shots a minute ago with this girl I’ve never seen before. I don’t think she goes to our school. Anyway, that’s going to kick in any second now, so I’m gonna get back on the dance floor.” He spun around and held a hand out to Dante with a dramatic flourish. “Dance with me.”

  Dante rolled his eyes, but he was grinning as he leaned closer to Sebastian. “I swear, just as I thought he was sobering up. If he does another Tarzan yell, someone’s gonna fall off the balcony and die.”

  They disappeared into the crowd, which was thinning as the night wore on. Nick led the way to the dining room, where they made new drinks. After, they stood on the threshold of the living room, an unspoken question hanging between them.

  Now what?

  Sebastian was mentally scratching his head when Nick solved his problem.

  “You don’t have to spend the whole night with me, you know.” Nick glanced at him. “I didn’t mean to commandeer you for so long. I’m sure there are people you’d like to talk to.”

  “Actually, everyone I want to talk to is right here.”

  Nick indicated a sofa on the far wall. “Sit with me?”

  The couches were free of people for once. It was the closest they could get to privacy without locking themselves in a room again.

  Sebastian nodded and held out a hand, indicating that Nick should go first. To his surprise, Nick took his hand and tugged Sebastian along behind him.

  Sebastian’s heart leaped up into his throat. “You sure you want to hold hands with me in front of everyone?”

  Nick looked over his shoulder at him. “The damage is done, remember? No sense in pretending anymore.”

  They took seats next to each other on the sofa. Nick sat with his leg on the cushion, turned to face Sebastian. He took a sip of his drink before setting it on the coffee table. “So.”

  “So.” Sebastian took a gulp of his own to wet his dry mouth and calm his nerves. “There’s something I want to ask you. Actually, there are a couple of things.”

  “Should I be nervous?”

  “No, but I sure as hell am.” Another drink, and then Sebastian set his cup down as well. He squared his shoulders toward Nick. “You remember why I wanted you to come here tonight, right?”

  Nick nodded. “You wanted to show me the real you.”

  “Have I done that?” Sebastian held his breath.

  There was the briefest of pauses. “You have. And for the record, I like the person you’ve shown me tonight.”

  Air left Sebastian’s lungs in a whoosh that he hoped only he could hear. “That’s a relief.” It really was. Maybe this situation wasn’t as hopeless as he feared. All he needed to do was magically get his shit together and figure out what he wanted. Easy enough, right?

  The latter bit was what was tripping him up. What did he really, truly want? He liked Nick—that much had been undeniable from day one—but did Sebastian like him enough to change who he was? To give up single life and alter his whole philosophy on love? To forfeit Barbzilla, the representation of his only happy childhood memories?

  Terrifyingly enough, after two short weeks, Sebastian suspected the answer was yes. If only he had more time to figure all this out, to come up with a plan. Nick had been suspicious of him from the start, and if he didn’t find some way to spin this . . .

  Oblivious to his inner turmoil, Nick fiddled with the drawstrings on the sweats Sebastian had given him. “I owe you an apology.”

  The statement surprised Sebastian from his thoughts. “For what?”

  “Making assumptions about you, and everyone at the Academy, really. I let my bitterness at my own circumstances color my first impressions. I’m no better than the people who spread gossip without caring if it’s true.”

  “No way. And to be fair, it’s not like your assumptions were all wrong. There are people at the Academy who fit the ‘rich kid’ stereotype. They grew up knowing they would go to college one day, and that it would be paid for. When they graduate, they’re going straight to work at their parents’ companies. They’ll never know what it’s like to job hunt or be unemployed. They’re the same tools who say shit like ‘dress for the job you want’ and ‘pound the pavement.’”

  Nick laughed. “I see. So, you forgive me?”

  “I do.” Tomorrow, will you be able to forgive me?

  “Thanks for that.” Nick chewed on his lip. “You said there was something else you wanted
to ask me?”

  “Yeah.” Sebastian surveyed his apartment. Midnight had come and gone, and now there were only a dozen or so people left, including Dante and Theo. Pretty soon, they’d be alone, unless Nick decided to leave. If Sebastian wanted to prevent that—and he very much did—he needed to act fast.

  It’s now or never, Prinsen.

  He took a breath. “Before I say anything, I want you to know that no matter what you decide, you won’t hurt my feelings.”

  “All right. Now I’m nervous. Ask me already.”

  Sebastian steeled himself. “Nick, will you spend the night with me?”

  Nick’s eyes widened. He didn’t answer right away, which prompted Sebastian to babble.

  “Nothing has to happen. In fact, I plan to do some more drinking after this, so nothing can happen, but I want you to stay over. We can talk in the morning, and honestly, I don’t want to be apart from you. Which is really weird for me, by the way. But again, whatever you decide is fine. If you want to go home, I’ll call you a cab. It’s totally up to you.”

  Sebastian must’ve sounded as nervous as he felt, because Nick chuckled. He reached out and took one of Sebastian’s hands. “I’d love to spend the night. I was actually dying to ask if I could, but I didn’t want to be presumptuous.”

  Sebastian’s heart skipped a beat. “Really? You were?”

  “Yeah. When you hit me with that pillow before, my first thought was ‘Ooh, is this goose down?’ I definitely want to take those babies for a spin.”

  Sebastian shoved him playfully, Nick shoved him back, and the next thing he knew, they were pseudo-wrestling on the sofa. Things were seconds away from becoming heated when someone coughed next to them.

  Simultaneously, they looked to the right and found Dante observing them from a few feet away, a hand clapped to his mouth as he tried and failed to smother laughter.

  “Wow, you kids are so gosh-darned cute.” He giggled. “Sorry to interrupt, but I gotta jet. It’s nearly one, and as much as I’d love to stay, I have to be up for Mass in the morning.”

  Sebastian disentangled himself from Nick with reluctance. “I can’t believe you still keep up the pretense of going to the chapel on campus.”