He blinks a few times, his eyes locking on the phone, then on me. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what just happened.” He’s starting to sound like his old self. It’s as if clouds have parted, making way for more of his sunshine. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Once it’s out, his eyes open, and he has an almost clinical look on his face, like he’s conversing with strangers. Nate grabs the phone and studies the image again before shaking his head. I’m still kneeling in front of him, and I quickly realize this was a mistake, because my cock is unbearably hard, and it’s tenting out my pants further the longer I’m next to him.

I don’t know what makes me do it, but I roll my hips, dragging the head across his stomach as I lean in, pretending to look at the picture. Nate either doesn’t notice or he simply doesn’t care enough to call me out, because he flips to the next picture.

This image—the unhinged photograph I wasn’t sure Nate should see—is beautiful. It was taken at the same angle as the last, but there’s a big pearl of pre-cum clinging desperately to the head.

“Benjamin,” Nate rasps.

“What do you think?” Benji asks. “Does it look okay?”

I’m not sure if he’s talking about his cock overall or the freckle. Nate doesn’t seem to know either, because he just keeps staring at it, refusing to look away. “It’s perfect,” he finally admits, his voice cracked and broken, making him sound exhausted.

“You really think so?”

“I do,” Nate says. “You have a very lovely penis, son. You should be proud.”

“It’s not too little?”

Nate licks his fucking lips, and it’s an action that makes my heart swell with hope. “It’s . . .incredible.”

Benji makes a choked gasp, pulling our attention away from his penis, back to the smaller image of him at our desk. His arm is moving ninety-to-nothing, and there’s no longer any chance of denying what he’s doing. He’s making no attempt to hide his actions.

“Tell me it’s pretty,” he says, squeezing his eyes shut. “Please?”

“It’s very pretty,” Nate and I answer together, and it feels like lightning’s crashing down my spine. I grab Nate’s hand and hold on tight, and from the look he’s giving me, I think he might have felt a little of that lightning, too. I want to throw myself around him and refuse to let go. Me on one hip, Benji on the other.

“Dad?”

“Yes, son?”

Benji’s cheeks are red, but he doesn’t stop stroking himself. Nate must realize what Benji’s doing, because he looks scandalized. “Will you set it as your background?”

Nate gapes at him. “You want me to set an image of your erection as my phone’s background?”

“Please?” he whines, his voice sounding like a whistling kettle. “Need it. Need you to look at it every single day, Dad.”

“Why?” Nate chokes out.

“It makes me feel like I’m not a freak ’cause it’s so small. Need it so bad it hurts.”

Nate breathes heavily. “All right.” It’s my turn to be flabbergasted. My mouth falls open as I watch Nate flick through the images. “Which one would you like me to use?”

“The last one,” he says. “It looks the biggest there.”

Nate sets the image as his phone’s background, but pauses when it asks if he wants to set it as his lock screen. Aftera moment of contemplation, he decides against it, which is probably for the best. “Done. I’ve got it set as my background.”

Benji moans like an absolute slut. “You’re gonna look at my cock every day.” He’s working himself faster, and Nate and I just stare at him, thunderstruck by his brazenness.

“I know what you’re doing, Benjamin, and I think you should stop. You’re in public and someone could see you, son.”

“Too close,” Benji whines, his arm working faster. “Can I? Please, Dad? I need it. You said you’d give me what I need.” The slick sound increases, and he’s staring desperately into the phone. “Please?”

Nate doesn’t seem like he plans on saying a word, so it’s up to me to give my best friend what he needs. “You’re sure no one can see?”

“No one’s in here. It’s just me.”

Nate sighs. “Okay, then. Yeah, Benji. You can. It’s okay, baby. Come for me.”

Those words are all it takes to drive Benji over the edge. His head falls back against the chair, his body writhing as he moans out, “Fuck. Coming. I’m coming. Bennet, Dad, I’m . . .” He cries out, his voice high in pitch and heavy with heat.