“The best,” Theo replied, his voice carrying a confidence that made me wonder if this was truly his first time letting loose. He seemed transformed from the awestruck guy who’d first spoke to me, and was now radiating an easy charm that was incredibly attractive.
We took our drinks and found Forest talking with a group near the enchanted bonfire that burned without heat at the center of the quad. The flames shifted colors in time with the music, casting everyone in an ever-changing glow.
“There you two are!” Forest called, waving us over. “I was beginning to think you’d disappeared for good.”
“Just getting some air,” I replied with a smirk that made Forest’s eyebrows rise behind his leafy mask.
“I bet,” he muttered, low enough that only I could hear.
The music shifted again, the band launching into something with a heavier beat that vibrated through the ground beneath our feet. Theo’s hand tightened around mine.
“Dance with me again?” he asked, his eyes bright behind his golden mask.
I couldn’t resist him. There was something intoxicating about his eagerness, his newfound boldness. Each time he touched me, I felt a strange flutter in my chest that I’d never experienced before. It should have terrified me. My kind didn’t get to have these feelings without consequences. But the punch and the night’s magic made it easy to ignore the warning bells.
Besides, it was only for tonight.
We moved into the crowd, bodies pressing against us from all sides as the party reached its peak. Theo pulled me close, his back to my chest this time as we swayed to the music. My hands found their way to his hips, guiding him against me. I leaned forward, my lips brushing against his ear.
“You’re driving me crazy,” I whispered, feeling him shiver at my words.
He turned his head, our lips meeting in a searing kiss that tasted of enchanted punch and desire. When we broke apart, his pupils were blown wide behind his mask.
“Then let’s get out of here,” he said, his voice rough and eager. “I’m ready for a round two.”
My cock hardened instantly at his words. “My room isn’t far,” I offered. “Forest is my roommate, so he won’t be back anytime soon.”
Theo nodded eagerly, and we made our way through the crowd, barely able to keep our hands off each other. The cool night air did little to dampen the heat between us as we hurried across campus toward my dorm.
“Wait,” he said suddenly as we approached the building. “The masks—should we take them off?”
I hesitated. The masks had given us freedom, allowed us to be versions of ourselves unburdened by expectations or reputations. Taking them off meant revealing our true selves, and I wasn’t sure either of us was ready for that.
“Hell no,” I said, pulling him closer. “Tonight we’re Neptune and Theo. Besides, it’s hotter this way, right?”
Relief flooded his features. “Yeah, it is,” he admitted. “I like this version of me better, anyway.”
I understood completely. Whatever persona he’d adopted behind that golden mask, it was clearly liberating for him. And for me, being Neptune instead of Nerion meant I could pretend, just for one night, that I wasn’t cursed to destroy anyone who fell in love with me.
We stumbled into my room, lips locked and hands exploring. I kicked the door shut behind us, ignoring the pile of dirty clothes on the floor and my unmade bed. The room was bathed in soft moonlight streaming through the window, illuminating our masked faces as we fell onto the covers, the springs squeaking below us.
“I’ve never done this before,” Theo confessed as I straddled his hips, my hands working at his belt. “Not all the way.”
I paused, looking down at him. “Do you want me to stop?”
“No,” he answered quickly, reaching up to touch my face. “Please don’t. I… I want to know what it’s like.”
The sincerity in his voice made that strange flutter return to my chest. I leaned down to kiss him gently, a stark contrast to the frantic passion of moments before.
“I’ll take care of you,” I promised, meaning it more than I’d meant anything in a long time. “Do you want me to ride you or fuck you?”
The bluntness of my question seemed to stun him for a moment. “I… uh… I guess I’ve always fantasized about being the bottom?” His words came out as more of a question. “If that’s okay with you.”
“Are you kidding?” I laughed. “I love both, but it’s not every day you get to ruin a virgin.”
I gave him a wink and he smiled back, his cheeks blushing bright red around the edges of his mask.
I bent down to kiss him again, hungrier this time. My hands slid under his shirt, pushing the fabric up to expose his toned stomach and chest. He was built like a swimmer, all lean muscle and smooth skin. When I pulled his shirt over his head, careful not to disturb his mask, I couldn’t help but admire the view.