Page 57 of Villain

“Oh,” West drawled, “so it’s his fault you want the three of us to pretend to date him, too, I suppose?”

“Casually,” Yejun pointed a finger and waved at them both, “date him.” Not that they could call what they intended to do with Nix dating. Giving something a proper label tended to cause people to relax. It gave them something tangent to hold on to, a name to call the thing. When people were comfortable, it was easier to slip a fast one by them.

Of course, being known as the dude dating the Demons probably would have the opposite effect for Nix, but that’s what they wanted. They needed everyone’s attention to be on the Firebird.

Including the Order’s.

“I didn’t see you complaining when your dick was in his mouth,” Lake said to West, snatching the beer out of his hand. He took a deep drag but didn’t offer it back, gaze sweeping out the window at the darkening sky.

“No, but you seemed pretty okay about it all,” Yejun told him, grinning when Lake’s upper lip twitched slightly.

“What’s mine is—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He shook his hand to stop him. “Still, if sharing a person was that simple, we should have tried it sooner.”

“Oh?” West turned his back to the window, leaning against the glass. He crossed his arms and quirked a dark brow. He’d changed his hair again, the color a deep magenta. “Coming from the guy who can’t remember the names of his various bedpartners, that’s rich.”

Yejun tapped his head. “Maybe that would hold more weight if you weren’t constantly changing your dye job, bro. As it is…”

“This is only temporary,” Lake stated. “Don’t get attached.”

Yejun snorted. “As if.”

“Yeah, right,” West chimed in at the same time. “He’s cute, and he’s got a fantastic tongue, but attached? Us? I just want to pick his brain apart a little and worm around it, that’s all.”

“Lovely.” Yejun downed the rest of his drink.

“Maybe get back inside him,” he added. “For real this time.”

“That I can agree with.” The two of them high-fived, and Lake rolled his eyes.

“Fucking children,” Lake said it like he wasn’t picturing the same thing.

“Jokes aside, it doesn’t have to be temporary, you know,” Yejun went in for the kill, figuring why the hell not. The lingering burn of the alcohol down his throat spurred him on. “Who says we can’t just keep him?”

“Um,” West gave him a look, “the Order?”

“Screw them.”

“Gross, my dad sits at that table.”

“Screw all of them except your dad.”

“You fucking would, you perv.”

“Why did I come back to this planet again?” Lake interrupted, but it made the three of them laugh as intended.

Partially because they knew he didn’t mean it.

Mostly because they knew he hadn’t had a choice.

Yejun and West were both Royals by blood, but Lake was an Imperial and part of the Imperial family despite not sharing their last name. He was always destined to settle on Tulniri, no matter how much he may have enjoyed his time on Vitality.

“Tell us the truth,” West said then. “You replaced us there, didn’t you?”

Yejun sighed, wishing he still had something to drink in his hand. The question had been circling for weeks now, ever since Lake’s return, but it was still uncomfortable hearing it voiced.

West’s feelings were like cotton candy. There one second, gone the next. All it took was one single drop to make them disappear. The problem was Lake was less predictable and far too honest. Even knowing it would bruise their egos if he had formed a tighter bond with his new friends on Vitality, he wouldn’t lie to them about it.

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