Clover played with Pyro’s thick fingers. A part of him wanted to bury the past and forget it, enjoy this moment of closeness, but he knew that there was no way of going forward with this relationship if he didn’t reveal the truth to Pyro.
“Maybe I used taking care of everyone as a distraction. We were only captured for a couple of hours. Boar was taken away, but Drake and me… I wasn’t just beaten. Apollo’s men, they…” He’d spoken of this to both Tank and Drake, but with Pyro, who was less emotionally available, choking out the truth was even harder.
Clover was a grown man. He killed a guard, taken revenge on Jerry, yet here he was—a mess about to be reduced to tears. “Drake killed them, but then Apollo forced him to take over their job, to hurt me while these insanely creepy people in masks watched. I will never find out who they were. He… had to hurt me sexually too,” Clover finished in the tiniest voice.
The hand around his squeezed even tighter. “Drake did what?” Pyro asked through clenched teeth, the ruthless, brash persona instantly back on the surface, but this time his spikes weren’t there to hurt Clover, but to protect him.
“There’s no nice way to put it. It hurt, it was horrible, I was bleeding all over from the caning, and just wanted it all to end. I was in so much pain, and that motherfucker Apollo threatened Drake to do much worse if he didn’t cooperate. Not to him, but to me. We’ve had… just before that night, me and Drake, we had this moment. Everything felt right, and that bastard took that away from us. Drake won’t even look at me anymore.” Clover didn’t know when the tears started falling, but he hugged Pyro tightly, relieved by the steady arms that locked around him instantly.
Pyro remained so still only his rapid heartbeat and warmth reminded Clover he was still alive. But as moments passed, the silence became so heavy Clover was close to screaming by the time Pyro opened his mouth. “So he protected you. But it was still horrible. And you want Apollo and the masked people dead?” Pyro asked, rubbing his chin against the top of Clover’s head. He smelled of stale aftershave, disinfectant, blood and sweat, but his firm embrace was a safe haven that would keep Clover protected, regardless of all the shit Pyro had done earlier.
“I just want Boar back. But I know none of this will end as long as Apollo is alive. I should have told you the truth, but I didn’t want to be a burden.” Clover took a deep inhale and kissed Pyro’s shoulder, more at peace than he’d ever felt. For once, both of them were open not just with their bodies, but with their raw, bleeding hearts.
Pyro petted him, resting his chin on top of Clover’s head. “I… I’m not good at this. But I hate that this happened. I’m sorry Clover. I now remember you being down, but I dismissed it. I didn’t want to see it. I was selfish, I thought you were a weakling moping about a few scars. But now that I know, I can see you’re the strong one. You picked yourself up while I wallowed and buried my pain in coke. And all the while you tried to take care of me, when you had to deal with something so horrible on top of that.”
“I just want all of us back together, you know?” Clover kissed Pyro’s ear, more relieved by the minute. Pyro still wasn’t in a state of equilibrium, but Clover finally felt heard and seen. “I want to see you joking and teasing me, not always just looking to break shit. You’ve shown me more of you tonight than in all the time we’ve known each other. I love you like this too. Not just as the fun guy.”
Pyro watched him, his green gaze so hypnotizing Clover was surprised to feel warm fingers lifting his chin. “It feels good to talk to you like this.”
Clover ran his hand up and down Pyro’s side and smiled gently. “I just wish I wasn’t crying all the time. It’s embarrassing.”
Pyro kissed him. “You can cry around me, baby. And if it makes you feel better, I cry about Boar when no one can see. Some days, his absence is just so overwhelming I can’t take it.”
It became easier to breathe again. “You can cry around me too, baby,” Clover said, unable to stop the silly grin.
Pyro snorted and pressed his nose to Clover’s. “We should cry together. In pleasure.”
“God, you’re dumb,” Clover laughed. “Are you seriously hitting on me right now?” But he ran his hand up Pyro’s chest, for once feeling that they weren’t two pieces of a different puzzle desperately trying to slot together.
Pyro pushed back Clover’s hair. “Hey, you were the one who said you wanted me cracking jokes. Or is that… not what you want right now?” he asked, and his smile dropped right away.
Clover kissed the bruise growing on Pyro’s jaw. “I do. I want all of you. Not just the fun side, not just the sexy side. You don’t have to pretend anything when you’re with me.”
Pyro swallowed, watching him for a long time. “I want all of you too. Not as like… something complementary to what Boar and I have. If you want more, then I’m game. I am so game, Clo.”
Clover stared back at him in silence, but what Pyro said truly hit him, and he could no longer hold back his emotions. That was what he wanted, totally, absolutely, and with all confidence. He had no idea he’d been waiting for this, but once those lovely words reached his ears, he couldn’t kiss Pyro fast enough.
He climbed into Pyro’s lap so fast they both fell back to the metal bed of the pickup, but Clover wouldn’t stop clinging to Pyro, drunk on the fresh connection. Pyro’s tongue dove into his mouth, stroking it, as if instead of claiming territory, he wanted to explore for once. His hands rolled up and down Clover’s chest, creating warmth and chasing away unpleasant memories, and even the hurt feelings from earlier.
He used to think things between them were stable enough but he realized they hadn’t come together until now in the first place.
“I just can’t stay away from you,” Clover whispered between one kiss and another, exploring every inch of Pyro’s back with his fingers. When Pyro looked at him, Clover didn’t just see hunger for sex, but so much more. Pyro was gentler too, and this new kind of touch made Clover realize they’d never had sex that didn’t include dirty, filthy talk. It was always hot, but Clover had meant what he said about wanting to know all of Pyro. He wanted to see his emotions, and he was willing to open up his own heart even wider, if that was what it took.
The trees above them hummed, but the heat of Pyro’s body kept Clover warm and protected from the elements and anything else that might encroach. Whatever happened once they located Boar, this moment would give them strength to survive all the difficulties to come.
Pyro’s naked chest rubbed against Clover’s, and as he trailed hot kisses along Clover’s jaw, his fingers headed between Clover’s legs. “Do you like that?”
Clover nodded. “I want to be close.” Riding this high, he had no doubt they would get Boar back, and he would once more see Pyro carefree, eating cotton candy at a fair. He wrapped his arms around Pyro’s neck and once more kissed him, relishing the taste of his tongue. Whatever they’d do would be quick, but he was sure Pyro needed to connect as much as he did.
Pyro was usually very to the point about his advances, and Clover loved that about him, but the squeeze around his crotch and the kisses made Clover forget at least some of the bad things he’d been through. Pyro cared about him too, and knowing this for certain felt so good he couldn’t help but arch against him.
“Yes. I want your cum on my skin, baby.” Pyro whispered, rolling on top and dragging his hips along Clover’s. He was the human equivalent of a stick of dynamite, but Clover wasn’t afraid to play with fire around him. Despite the tattooed skin and blue hair, Pyro was as human on the inside as anyone else, and craved affection the same way Clover did.
Pyro’s eyes were dark, but this time it wasn’t cocaine that made his pupils dilate. He gave a short laugh and freed his dick, pulling Clover’s hand to it. Already hard, it felt so good Clover wished to just hold on to it, letting this moment last for eternity. “Tank would disapprove of such mess in his car.”
“Fuck Tank. He’s no fun,” Pyro said but softened his words with playfu
l, ticklish kisses to Clover’s ear. Balancing on one hand, he pulled on Clover’s pants and let out a frustrated growl when they refused to roll down without fiddling with the belt and zipper.
“He’s a pretty strict Daddy.” Clover snorted and stroked Pyro’s cock in awe of how ready it was. “Too bad he got himself a naughty boy. You’ve got such a great dick.” He arched his hips to help Pyro get the pants down. He wanted to be skin to skin, but this would have to do, because he couldn’t be undressing any further when they might get a call from Tank any second. His eyes rolled back when Pyro touched his cock, stroking it at such a languid pace his whole body began to tremble in anticipation. He glanced at the crescent moon above, but then all his attention focused on his lover, who braced above him, eyes serious.
“Make it wet.”
Clover’s cheeks pulsed with heat, and it was impossible to think about anything other than the pulsing meat in his grip. He spat into his hand and spread the saliva over the length. When he attempted to spread his legs, Pyro grinned and held them together.
“I’ll be fucking you right here,” he said, pressing two fingers between Clover’s thighs, sending a flood of arousal up to Clover’s balls. Clover’s cock twitched, and he added more spit for Pyro’s cock, desperate to feel him on top.
“You ever done it like that?” Pyro whispered, his gaze never leaving Clover’s in the dark.
Clover shook his head. “This is something you like?”
“Only way Boar lets me fuck him, so it’s a real turn-on.” Pyro smirked, but Clover didn’t laugh, instead absorbing this secret straight into his heart.
Pyro leaned over him, his breath uneven, and, with the new knowledge he had, when the damp cockhead touched Clover’s thighs, it sent a jolt of electricity all the way to his ass. He’d been let in on something so private he hadn’t found out despite living and sleeping with those guys for over a year.
When Pyro grabbed his cock, positioning it at the thigh gap, Clover’s brain stilled, but when the stiff length pushed in, parting his flesh, keeping still was impossible.
Above him, Pyro shut his eyes, grunting, but by the time his cock pushed against Clover’s taint, triggering an explosion of yet unknown sensation, Clover grabbed his face and pulled him in for a kiss.
Pyro rested his weight on top, trapping Clover’s cock between their stomachs. Even the stubble of hair on the skin had Clover moaning, but when Pyro started moving, Clover deepened the kiss and squeezed his thighs on the cock sliding in and out at a growing pace. He ran his hands up and down Pyro’s sides, marveling at the strength tightly packed into his man’s muscles as his body throbbed with excitement.
So maybe Clover had been a mess for months under the organized facade, but right now, him and Pyro could be messy together after showing each other the sides of themselves that wouldn’t otherwise see the light of day. In the darkness, at the back of a dirty pickup, they saw each other clearly for once.
Their sex wouldn’t have been a graceful sight to an outsider, with limbs scrambling, bodies having to compensate for the discomfort of the hard truck bed that smelled of motor oil, but in the moment, the closeness was everything that mattered. Weirdly sweet despite the hurry of their bodies clashing, despite the growing burn between his thighs, it was a connection he’d never felt with Pyro before, no matter how many times they’d fucked.
Pyro moaned, his hips slapping against Clover’s thighs fast, and when he started coming, hot spunk shot between Clover’s legs, soothing the friction burns. Clover held on to Pyro, rocking against him both for his own pleasure and to milk Pyro’s cock dry. The delightful rubbing against his balls only urged Clover’s own excitement, and he didn’t even need to ask Pyro to give him a hand.
Pyro reached between their bodies and grabbed Clover’s cock. Clover had been on the verge of orgasm, but the few hard strokes pushed him over the edge, and he held on to Pyro’s arms, moaning and digging his nails into skin.
“Love your… come face,” Pyro rasped, still barely able to breathe himself. His skin was flushed, but his gaze remained fixed on Clover, still hyper-aware of the connection they forged. “So filthy… but so pretty.”
Clover smiled when his muscles went lax, and he rested his head on the metal. This was all he needed. He was such a sucker for this bastard of a boyfriend.
The world slowed down after the urgency of their sex, and when Pyro’s weight settled on Clover, he was glad for the warmth it offered. Contentment penetrated him bone-deep, and he might have fallen asleep if Pyro hadn’t spoken.
“Thanks for taking another chance on me.”
Clover rolled into a hug. “Last chance, Pyro, so better make it last forever.”
Pyro’s eyes got all gooey, and Clover indulged in this moment of honest tenderness. He wouldn’t miss a second of this.
But then the phone rang with the melody Clover had set for Drake, he needed to pull away from the warmth that felt more right than it ever had. “At least we got to finish.”
Chapter 9 - Clover
The sun, which had previously only peeked out, coloring the clouds with an array of pinks and violets, showed itself at last, spilling a golden glow all over the suburbs of Denver. Its light didn’t hurt Clover’s eyes yet, but it might get there soon. The rays snuck between tree branches, creating a movie-worthy effect Clover would have appreciated any other time. But he wasn’t here to marvel at the beauty of nature.
Perched in a tall oak just outside the perimeter of a property in a peaceful neighborhood with more trees than people, he tried to keep his mind neutral, without shuffling into the fear that they’d missed their opportunity, and Boar had been smuggled somewhere else altogether.
He knew why he was here. It wasn’t because he was a master of tree climbing or a decent lookout, even though he was both these things. It wasn’t even because Tank was overprotective. This time, Tank had seen right through Clover and must have smelled the fear on him, so giving him a job where he could feel useful without being an obstruction to the others had been a conscious choice.
Clover hadn’t protested, because finding the courage to potentially face captivity again was near-impossible at this point. Sitting in a tree with a gun in his hand was the best he could do to be useful, but he needed to be a part of this operation, so he’d take that.
Tank and the others had decided to call in the police to smoke out the snakes instead of risking the lives of their small group against an unknown number of opponents hiding in the behemoth of a house with all too many turrets for a modern structure. Unlike most of the homes peppered throughout the woodland-covered suburb, this one had a fence as tall as Tank was, and sizeable thujas growing around the perimeter to further block the view from outside.
This was where Clover came in.
From the treetop, he was to report to Tank about any suspicious activity in the garden, but that was where his role ended. There wasn’t all that much to report yet. Two guards walked around the property at a lazy pace, oblivious to the rope slowly tightening around their throats. Twenty minutes back, a woman in chef’s clothes had joined them for a cigarette before retreating into the house to resume her duties. Beyond the rear end of the property was a thatch of woods, and farther yet—a public road with a small rest area devoid of facilities, beyond a wooden picnic table.
A small truck was parked there, close to an electric box that likely served the locals, but not much of interest had happened anywhere within sight since Clover’s arrival, and the anticipation to see Boar again twisted his insides.
Did Boar hate him for what had transpired on that awful night? Guilt was a parasite eating Clover up from the inside, but there was no escaping something that lived within.
Pyro’s attempts to run from his own grief had led him to drugs, and whenever he was sober, the loss of Boar was there to haunt him. His torment would end today, if everything went according to plan, but Clover didn’t even want to consider what might happen otherwise. He needed to keep faith. He had neve
r lost hope that they would reconnect with the lost member of their chosen family, but being ‘alive’ and ‘well’ were two different things, and he feared the consequences of what had happened to Boar in all those months.
Clover swallowed, trying to see the road at the front of the building, but it seemed impossible. Tank had promised to inform him of any movement there, but a lot of time had passed since the anonymous call to the police, and he hadn’t heard anything beyond routine check-ins.
In the garden, the guard was playing a game on a mobile console, not at all alarmed. When Pyro’s voice came on in Clover’s earpiece, he expected more of the same, but the hope in the raspy voice had Clover’s entire body go tense.
“Several black vans just passed. I’ll follow. They’ll be with you in three minutes.”
Clover patted his holster just to make sure the gun was there in case he did need to use it. He felt so damn rusty despite Tank having forced him to train now and then in the last few months. Like he was sitting in someone else’s body. A body that was ready. But his soul wasn’t. His soul was still trapped on that leather bench where an anonymous goon had caned him and where Drake had been forced to hurt him. Clover’s whole being was so desperate to never go back there, that even being close to danger, to Apollo’s associate, choked his bravery.
His breath caught when the guard put the console into his pocket and touched his ear, his legs already moving. The rifle that had previously been only an accessory hung over his shoulder, was now in his hands, and he sprinted into the house through the open French doors.
“They’re about to go in,” Tank told Clover through the headset.
Unable to see anything with the overgrown monster of a house blocking the sight, Clover felt increasingly nervous, but when first shouting, then gunshots tore through the morning peace of this quiet neighborhood, his tongue got so dry it stuck to his palate.
He was far away from the action, out of sight, hidden from a danger that wouldn’t touch him, and while he held his gun that bit more tightly when he first saw movement through the leaves, it was only kitchen staff who ran out into the garden, scattering in search of places to hide.
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