~The Grubs, Pierce's home~
The hero felt warmth on his face; it was cradling him, smooth and comfortable. He leaned into it, the annoying pain feeling numb compared to the new comfort. It felt sore, like he had been pushed beyond a limit. The warmth gave him comfort, distracting him from the pain. He wanted more of it, wanted to desperately lean forward and ask for more.
He forced his eyes open, meeting the sun's glare.
"Ah..." Oxzy groaned. He tossed his head to the side, trying to stuff his face in a pillow. A pillow, on a bed?
The hero realized he was in a weirdly comfortable bed; he last remembered sleeping on the floor. His head screamed at him, yelling and moaning with throbbing pain. He felt hot, a pounding sensation in his brain. His body shook from an invisible wave of air as it passed, leaving him completely drained of energy.
He could barely move when he heard a soft chuckle from above him.
His hand went up to shield his eyes from the light. His body shook in the air, and gulping down a cry, Oxzy looked at the man.
Pierce. The villain sat above him, perched on the edge of the bed. The hero turned his eyes away, and the villain laughed again. The sun was suddenly blocked out as the villain shifted his body, his figure now shielding Oxzy from the light. It let Oxzy open his eyes, which he did with hesitation.
The villain wore a smile, looking at the hero with awe. Oxzy, in turn, swallowed down his confusion. He tried to remember the last few things that had happened. His body was sore, his head was pounding, and he felt hot all over. He had thought the fever would go down.
But no. He and the villain had—
His face flushed brightly. He buried his head in his hand, groaning with embarrassment. Of course he was still feverish! Instead of letting himself heal, he had gone and fucked the villain.
Well, the villain had fucked him.
Oxzy groaned in pain, reliving everything that happened the night before. The villain stayed above him, watching with a thoughtful eye. He couldn't help himself; his hand moved to Oxzy's hair.
The villain's large hand ran through the curls. Oxzy felt his body stiffen, and the pain in his pounding head stopped. Pierce rubbed the back of Oxzy's head, feeling the black strands slip through his fingers.
Leaning forward, his mouth close to Oxzy's ear, Pierce spoke in a low, deep voice. "Morning."
Oxzy's body tensed immediately. His face, buried in his hand, burned a deep red. He looked up at the villain, whose face was only inches from his own. The hot breath paired with the deep voice sent a shiver down his spine. It felt strange, almost good to the hero. The pain was forgotten; all he could think about was the villain above him with that silky voice.
"Uh..." Oxzy looked away from the villain's peering eyes. His voice felt rough, his throat still sore, though not as scratchy as he'd expected. "M-Morning..."
Pierce giggled, shaking his head. Oxzy was just so cute. The villain leaned forward, kissing Oxzy on the cheek while ruffling his messy bed head.
"Get some energy up. I'll get you food," Pierce said, standing from the bed and ruffling Oxzy's hair once more before leaving.
The hero didn't notice the sunlight hitting his wide eyes.
He was so confused.
What had just happened? Had the villain kissed him? He was acting so sweet, too sweet toward the hero—it was mind-boggling.
Oxzy knew Pierce was unpredictable, but acting like that toward him was very out of character. That was how he would treat a girlfriend, not an enemy. It was also strange to see the villain being nice, or thoughtful.
It was all so strange that Oxzy felt his whole body freeze. Should he move? He didn't think he could; his body was sore and aching. He also felt like his bones were made of twigs. It took great effort just to sit up on the bed. By the time he managed it, the blanket had fallen from his movements. The large black blanket hung over his thighs, though he felt warmer now, wearing a sweater.
He held his hands out and saw that the sleeves hung past them. It must have been Pierce's sweater—a reddish-brown color. The hero thought he'd seen Pierce wear it a few times, but it wasn't burnt. It was clean, and it smelled like Pierce.
The hero brought his hands to his nose. The sweater hung over them, leaving only his fingers exposed. He took a deep breath in; it was as if the man were right beside him, lying there with the warmth of his body.
The hero stopped. His mind snapped back into place as he shook his head. What was he thinking? It was like some strange affliction had taken hold of his mind. He and the villain weren't like that; he wouldn't think about Pierce that way.
A few sounds came from below. He looked to the closed door; it sounded like someone was moving things around downstairs. Oxzy tried to remember what Pierce had told him before leaving—something about getting his energy up. His head hurt too much to think clearly. He groaned into his hand and threw the blanket off his legs. Once his bare feet hit the carpeted floor, a shiver ran up his spine. He held his stomach, growling as a spike of pain hit him below.
"Fugh... bastard..." Oxzy cursed under his breath. Pierce had gone hard on him the night before.
He wondered if he could even walk after all that. His chest ached, and his body felt unfocused as he tried to stand. Still, he forced his feet onto the floor, holding the wall for balance. With each step, pain spiked through him, nearly making him fall.
Still, he caught himself, huffing out a sore breath. He gulped, shaking his head in silent desperation. The pain flared again. He really should have let himself heal before throwing himself at the villain.
What had he expected? For Pierce to be gentle with his torn body?
No, of course Pierce wouldn't show him mercy. He had wrecked his body further—his insides ached, his throat felt sore and stuffy. That, combined with the fever in his head and his empty stomach, made Oxzy want nothing more than to lie back down.
He couldn't do that anymore; he was already up and heading to the door. He wasn't in his own home, with nothing here to comfort him.
No comfort at all in this place. It only made him more tense, more weak. He had to regain his energy so he could leave.
Relying on Pierce was the last thing he wanted to do.
Annoying as it was, the hero made his way to the door and opened it. He breathed out in relief, and the sound of voices made him creep down the stairs with slow, deliberate steps. His feet hit the cold, bare floor, sending shivers up his back. Swallowing silently, he reached the bottom of the stairs and looked over toward the living room.
"Pierce—"
He stopped when five pairs of eyes met his.
Silence fell as the hero stared ahead. He didn't recognize any of them except Pierce. Two adults, a woman and a man, stood in the kitchen drinking what looked like beer; they glanced up in shock at Oxzy. The other two, closer to Pierce's age, sat on the couch talking until the girl stopped mid-sentence and the boy turned as well.
He had everyone's attention. The hero quickly found Pierce, who was pulling something from a cabinet, seemingly unbothered by his family's shocked stares. He held a few things in his hand and looked up at Oxzy.
"Hey, Ox. Glad you can walk," he said, smiling as he walked past his stunned mother. "I've got some food for you. You should stay in bed."
Oxzy watched him approach on the stairs, glancing nervously at the group. Confusion washed over him again. Pierce didn't seem to care that they'd been caught—it was obvious what had happened, given Oxzy's state.
But no, Pierce paid his family no mind. He focused on Oxzy, watching him shrink closer on the stairs. How could he be so cute?
Pierce laughed to himself, draping his free hand on the hero's waist. He held a cup of soup with crackers in the other hand as he led Oxzy up the stairs. "Let's go. You need to eat if you want to heal."
With that, the two men left the stairs and returned to Pierce's room.
Silence fell once more.
The first to speak was Buck. "W-Was that... the hero? In Pierce's... clothes?"
Brit looked away, a cold shiver running along her spine. Goosebumps rose on her arms as she pieced it together. "He was with him last night."
"Wait, Pierce fucked Oxzy!?" Azeral, feeling the beer buzz, quickly caught himself.
Zella smacked his head, her brows furrowing in irritation as she looked toward the room. "How did he even get here..."
"More like why is he here," Brit said, shaking her head as she stood from the couch. "I mean, they hate each other, but now they're fucking? I thought the hero was smart."
"They fucked?" Buck looked disgusted, shaking his head.
"The people next door said they heard moans and stuff last night. Pierce himself said he had someone over!" Azeral laughed, leaning against the kitchen counter.
"Doesn't take a genius to see it," Brit sneered at her brother. He flipped her off, but she had a point.
The hero came down wearing nothing but an oversized sweater and boxers—both Pierce's, both far too big on him. As if that wasn't obvious enough, his body offered further proof. Bite marks were visible on his neck, exposed by the slipping sweater. His body language betrayed everything that had happened the night before, and the reactions around him only confirmed it.
Buck gagged. "Fuck, two men having sex? Disgusting!"
Brit made her way to Zella. The father was still laughing to himself, mumbling words like "I knew it" or "my boy hit the real thing!" Either way, Brit focused on her mother.
The woman was very shocked, her face deep in thought. Brit knew that this meeting meant more. She knew something that everyone else didn't, and it made the young daughter want in. To want more.
"Mom, you know something, don't you?" Brit asked, leaning in to Zella.
The woman cursed her off. Sitting up, she grabbed her phone before heading to the door. The husband saw her exit and rushed forward to grab her. "Wait. I thought you wanted to get him—"
"I'm calling someone in private, dumbass!" Zella pushed him off before leaving the house.
Azeral laughed to himself, looking back to his daughter. The young woman looked confused, a bit hurt by her mother's actions. The father frowned, leaning on her shoulder as he handed the beer over. "Don't let that get to you, babe. Your mother is just very 'businessy'."
"Whatever..." The woman mumbled, taking the beer for a drink.
"I can't wait to tell everyone about this, holy shit." Buck laughed to himself. He had his phone out, texting and calling others. He began to speak loudly about what had just happened, annoying his sister.
She turned to the counter, sitting on it while Azeral went to the fridge for another beer. He turned to her, smiling brightly. "I never expected Pierce to be like that. I mean, he had a girlfriend. How can he go from pussy to dick?" The father opened the bottle, laughing to himself. "Man, he really is unpredictable, isn't he?"
Brit didn't answer. She turned to the door and then to the stairs.
It was very weird—something she, and literally anyone in the town, wouldn't expect to see. The villain doing it with the hero? Maybe others would expect Pierce to do so because of his strange nature, but Oxzy?
That was what made it even weirder. The hero didn't seem at all against the villain grabbing him by the waist and carrying him back up the stairs. Oxzy always fought the man off; he never liked being touched. So sleeping with Pierce, and after that letting the man touch him so intimately?
The woman's head hurt. She took another swig, thinking about the strangeness while her family talked trash about the new discovery.
While the family talked from below, the villain was back upstairs in his bedroom. He sat on the edge of his bed, with the hero across from him, leaning against the headboard. He held out a bowl of soup, a few crackers laid beneath it by Pierce's knee. The soup was tinted red and smelled like chicken and carrots. Through the thin, steaming liquid, Oxzy could see a few bobbing bits of chicken and carrots floating around.
He looked up to meet Pierce's eyes.
"What?" the villain asked with innocence.
"You... made this?" Oxzy looked at it, then back to Pierce.
"Well, yeah." The villain answered, picking up the spoon before looking back at the hero. "I heated it up and grabbed some spare chips."
The hero rolled his eyes. Pierce giggled lightly, scooping up a spoonful of both vegetable and meat. When he had a good spoonful, he put the spoon to Oxzy's closed mouth.
The hero looked at it, confused.
"It's gonna spill if you don't open your mouth," the villain said.
"I know that—" Oxzy started, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Pierce pushed the spoon in.
The hero was forced to take it in. Closing his lips around the metal so nothing fell onto the bed, he gulped down the contents. It was hot, running down his sore throat with a burst of odd flavors—a bit spicy, the carrots soft and mushy when he bit into them. The chicken was also soft, carrying a bit of spice when he chewed.
Pierce took away the spoon. He watched as the hero registered the flavors, a few emotions swimming in his eyes. It pleased him, and he went back for another spoonful to continue feeding Oxzy.
The hero glared at the man when met with another spoon at his closed lips. With a small, encouraging smile from Pierce, Oxzy opened his mouth to take another bite.
"Is it good?" Pierce suddenly asked once the hero gulped down a fourth spoonful.
"Sure..." the hero mumbled, chewing the soft carrots.
"Here, try it with some chips." The villain suddenly moved the bowl to the bed. He pulled out some chips, dipped them in the bowl, and moved the food back up to the hero's lips.
The hero took it without hesitation. It brought more flavor, and he found he wanted more. Pierce obliged, continuing until the whole bowl was gone.
Oxzy had eaten it all. Looking at the empty bowl brought satisfaction to Pierce.
"Where... do you get the food?" Oxzy suddenly asked.
Pierce looked up at him, a smirk playing on his lips. "Is it that good? I made it nicely, didn't I?"
Oxzy huffed, turning his head when Pierce got too close. "N-No... I haven't eaten in a while, so... I was hungry..."
"I'll make more for you. But first you have to digest that." Pierce leaned forward, setting the bowl aside, his hand braced behind the hero. While pushing Oxzy into the headboard, he used his other hand to cup Oxzy's chin.
He forced the hero's eyes to meet his, a smile meeting a frown.
"What?" Oxzy asked.
Pierce said nothing, wiping his finger along the hero's red lips. The hero shut his eyes, feeling Pierce move closer. His hot breath tickled Oxzy's skin, sending familiar shivers through his body. The hero stiffened when Pierce kissed the side of his neck, then the man moved away.
Oxzy opened his eyes, looking at him, dumbfounded.
"I'll be right back," Pierce said with a smile, standing up with the empty bowl. He moved to the door, opening then closing it as he left, leaving a confused and strangely excited hero in his bedroom.
The villain walked down the stairs when he heard familiar chatter from his father and brother. He stopped, leaning on the wall to catch the words being thrown around.
"Fucking gross! Why do I have to have a homo brother?"
"Hey now, at least he has something that makes him a man. Sleeping with a guy, no, but his powers—yes!"
"It's almost sad how he would stoop that low."
"Is it now?" Pierce interrupted his father and brother's rude conversation.
Buck immediately stood up, setting down the phone he'd been texting on. "P-Pierce! Look, no, I wasn't talking about you!"
Azeral stepped back into the shadows, his head hung low in fear as his son walked forward. Pierce ignored his father, his focus on his brother. "Who were you talking about, then?"
Buck gulped, fear evident in his eyes. "Uhh... the hero!" he suddenly blurted. His body stiffened, his face dripping with sweat, but he hid it behind a confident smile. "That guy would do something like that, of course. I mean, letting a man fuck him? It's disgusting!"
Pierce stayed emotionless, his eyes daring Buck to say more.
The brother took the reaction as a green light. It seemed that if he talked trash about the hero instead of his brother, it wouldn't upset Pierce. He was scared of the man and would try anything to keep him from getting angry—especially at him.
"He is disgusting. It's like he has no purpose for himself." Buck scratched his head, looking at his sister for help. She looked about ready to bolt out the door. Buck turned back to Pierce, not knowing what else to say, jumbling his words at this point. "It's what a slut would do. Oxzy probably gets paid to get fucked by others, right—"
The man was cut off mid-sentence when the villain smashed the bowl into his face. The crash was loud, knocking Buck off his feet and onto the floor. The father screamed, shrinking into himself with fear. Brit had already run out of the house, letting her mother, who'd heard the crash, rush in.
Zella came in to see Pierce standing above Buck. The man lay on the floor, his hand on his head and a pool of blood already staining his clothes. He looked up in fear, seeing the villain hover above him, his face unseen by the others. All Buck could see was an insane look in his eyes.
A crazy smile, hands itching to kill. Pierce held Buck up by the collar of his shirt, his face inches away.
"Only I can speak about him like that," he said, danger dripping from every word. Buck only whimpered, nodding frantically.
Pierce watched as blood fell from his brother's head, his hair soaked with red. Buck's body shook, tears already falling from his eyes. He was petrified. Pierce was angry, ready to kill him. He couldn't even hear his mother trying to persuade him to stop.
The parents stayed on the sidelines. Only Zella tried to stop the terror, though she knew she could do nothing—if Pierce really wanted to, he could kill Buck with a blink of his eye. But he didn't.
Pierce let go of the man, who fell flat on his back. Buck cried, trying to cover his busted head, his eyes foggy from the pain. "Well, I think you guys have overstayed your welcome." Pierce looked at them, glaring at his father, who was trying to hide in the shadows. "Clean this up before you leave."
He didn't need to say anything else. Zella helped her son up, trying to stop the bleeding, while Azeral grabbed things to clean up the glass and blood. Pierce walked back up the stairs to Oxzy, a smile on his face despite his ruined clothes.
~The Grubs, the warehouse~
The little leader waited—waited for hours, questions and disbelief running through his head.
His mother had called him a few hours earlier. She'd sounded frantic, speaking quickly, trying to make Felix take in everything. It all came at once.
Oxzy was with Pierce. The pair had slept together. The hero had run away, and with no home, had taken shelter with the villain. What was most shocking was that Pierce actually allowed it. He was there with Oxzy, treating him as if he were his girlfriend—treating him like Rosamee.
Felix's blood boiled at the thought. Thinking back to Rosamee, the woman who had taken Pierce away from him—from everyone. She was always with him, blocking out anyone who tried to get close.
"Boss, Zella's here..." a man spoke from the office doorway, looking down with hesitation. The leader was angry, fuming at the news.
Still, Felix pulled himself together. "Alright."
Outside, he faced his mother, who had brought Octavia and Corbin along. He looked at them with confused anger. "Why did you bring them?"
"They came on their own accord," Zella sighed. She had bags under her eyes and a deep crease running between her brows.
The siblings followed each other in. Corbin spoke first. "I came when I heard. I mean, Pierce fucking Oxzy? What the hell?"
"Didn't he see the video?" Octavia suddenly asked, turning to Felix.
"No..." the brother responded.
Zella scoffed. "That video... that damn video isn't gonna do shit, Felix. You fucked up big time..."
"What are you talking about?" Felix began to fume. He was confused, but certain that things would change once Pierce saw the video. His mother thought otherwise. "He hates Oxzy, even if they did sleep together. Pierce hates the man. He'll be overjoyed to see the video!"
"No, he won't!" Zella suddenly shouted. The warehouse echoed, leaving silence in its wake. "You didn't see it. You didn't see how he reacted—not just the state they were in, but how he was burning when Buck talked trash about the hero like an idiot. Trust me, something personal is going on that we don't know about. It's more serious than you think."
Felix felt like he was hearing gibberish. He had the whole plan figured out! It wasn't just going to fail. He was sure Pierce would love what he'd done—he was certain!
"That's bullshit. Pierce doesn't like that shitty hero. He'll love it—"
"He almost killed Buck! All because he called Oxzy a slut!" the mother suddenly screamed. She walked forward, standing in the middle of the circle of men. "You should feel lucky he hasn't seen the video yet."
"This is fucking stupid. You're stupid!" Felix yelled.
"I'm your mother, you brat!"
Felix tossed his head to the side, a scoff escaping his lips. His face burned red with anger, and he couldn't think of anything else to say. He was furious, wanting them gone—his family, gone. They didn't deserve to profit off his work.
"You know what," Felix shook his head. "You didn't bring him like I asked. So you're not getting the rest of the drugs."
"What!" Octavia yelled, stepping in front of her stunned mother. "You dipshit, that wasn't the plan! We need the rest, like you promised!"
"I promised it if you brought Pierce."
Octavia shouted in rage, about to lunge at him, but the men in the circle stepped in front of Felix, daring her to try. She growled under her breath but didn't move forward.
Zella grabbed her arm, pulling her back next to Corbin, who was equally enraged. "You don't understand. If I'd brought him and he'd seen that video, all your men would be dead."
"Don't threaten me. I have the power here," Felix replied coldly from behind his men.
"We need that for the trade! We already started it—it can't just end, or we'll be dead!" Corbin couldn't contain his anger, lashing out like Octavia had. He stayed behind his mother as he continued. "Just let us finish it. We're gonna be fucked if you don't."
"It's my drug, dumbass." Felix shook his head. "I choose what to do with it. Now get out."
The others didn't listen, continuing to shout. The little leader waved at his men, and they nodded. The family was suddenly pushed out, their shouts echoing within the large room. Felix ignored their pleas. He ignored his mother's words.
His plan had gone well so far; he wasn't going to stop just because of what his mother said. For all he knew, she might be lying—jealous, maybe, or trying to manipulate him.
She thought she knew more about him, but Felix knew everything about his idol—his older brother, the man he'd kill for. Just to be noticed, to be recognized by the greatest man in town. That's all he wanted. And he was going to get it, no matter how many bloody bodies blocked his path.
Mercy stood by, a shadow swallowing her face. She watched Felix spiral, catching a small glance in her direction before he stormed back into his office and shut the world out.
It wasn't true. Pierce would like it. When he saw the video, he would congratulate Felix. He would see him as a brother—that's all Felix wanted.
He was going to get it.
He'd done everything—fought, robbed, manipulated, and killed for him. He wouldn't stop now just because his mother had said her piece.
Pierce hated Oxzy; they fought all the time. He wouldn't treat the man like a "girlfriend" or anything like that. Rosamee was gone, and the hero, of all people, wouldn't fill that gap.
She had been everything to him. That's exactly why Felix had to get rid of her.
Pierce had only ever seen her—no one but her.
Felix swept everything off the desk in frustration, yelling out in anger.
Taking shallow breaths, he closed his eyes, trying to think of something else—something that made him feel better.
He thought back to when the woman had burned alive. His hand on the match, throwing it into the gasoline. She'd burst into flames, screaming in pain, scrambling in fear and desperation... agony.
Felix smiled, his body relaxing as he relived the moment.
The moment his entire plan had begun.