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       #Post#: 1435--------------------------------------------------
       All In- Joe and Kaiden
       By: Minyaagar Date: February 16, 2026, 5:56 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Late-night subway hum.
       The car swayed with the rhythmic clatter of wheels on tracks,
       fluorescent lights buzzing faintly overhead. A faint smell of
       metal, stale air, and someone’s takeout lingered in the car. Joe
       sat sideways on a worn plastic seat, his scuffed bike propped
       beside him, one arm hooked lazily over the handlebars to keep it
       steady.
       In his lap — a half-full sketchbook, pencil smudges creeping
       along the side of his hand. He’d been at it since he boarded,
       eyes flicking up every so often to catch another set of
       features. A tired office worker with a sagging tie. A woman
       scrolling endlessly through her phone. A man asleep with his
       forehead pressed against the window. All sketched in quick
       strokes — the kind of faces you’d see once and never again.
       And then… him.
       A blonde man leaned back in the seat across the aisle, one arm
       draped casually over the backrest. His hair was mussed like he’d
       been in the wind, shadows deep under his eyes. There was a thin
       scar on his right cheek, the kind that didn’t come from
       clumsiness. He wasn’t looking around like most people — his gaze
       was fixed somewhere down the car, steady and unreadable.
       Something in that stillness carried a weight Joe couldn’t name.
       Dangerous, maybe. Definitely not soft.
       Joe found himself sketching without even thinking, lines forming
       quick and certain. Sharp jaw. The way the shadows curved along
       the bridge of his nose. That scar. And something in the man’s
       expression — distant, but not blank — that made Joe slow his
       strokes, as if catching it exactly mattered.
       He glanced up once, caught the faintest flicker of movement —
       the man’s eyes shifting toward him for the briefest second.
       Joe’s stomach tightened. He looked away, busying himself with
       shading, pretending he hadn’t been caught staring.
       The train rattled on. Stations came and went. And Joe stayed
       quiet, too shy to try for conversation, his pencil capturing a
       stranger he might never see again. Still… he couldn’t shake the
       pull in his chest.
       The intercom crackled, announcing his stop. Joe hesitated,
       pencil hovering over the page before he slid it into the spine
       of his sketchbook and closed it. He stood, slinging his
       messenger bag over one shoulder and gripping his bike by the
       frame.
       As the doors slid open, he glanced once more at the blonde. The
       man hadn’t moved much, still sitting with that unshakable
       stillness — but his eyes followed Joe for a fraction of a
       second. Noticing him.
       Joe stepped onto the platform, the cool air hitting his face.
       The train doors closed behind him with a hollow thunk, carrying
       the stranger away.
       That scar. That aura.
       Joe mounted his bike, pushing off into the quiet streets, the
       image of the man still sharp in his mind — and sketched forever
       in graphite.
       --fin--
       The city lights streaked past the train windows in brief bursts,
       cutting across Kaiden MacGovern’s face — catching the silver in
       his tousled hair, the faint gleam in his grey-blue eyes, and the
       scar carved across his cheek. A toothpick rolled lazily between
       his teeth, a placeholder for the cigarette he’d promised himself
       he’d save for later. The inked coils of a black dragon curled up
       his throat and across his collarbones, half-hidden beneath a
       loose shirt.
       He was fixed on his mark — a middle-aged man three seats down,
       briefcase hugged to his chest, oblivious to the fact that Kaiden
       was the shadow waiting to follow him home. But something tugged
       his attention sideways.
       A man — long-haired, brunette — sketchbook open on his lap.
       Kaiden noticed the way he kept glancing over, pencil moving in
       quick strokes before darting his eyes away again. Harmless on
       the surface… but Kaiden’s gut didn’t do “harmless.” Not anymore.
       His gaze sharpened. Maybe the guy was just another bored
       commuter. Maybe he was something else — a lookout, a tail, a
       problem. The list of possibilities was long, and none of them
       ended with Kaiden ignoring it.
       When the brunette got off at the next stop, Kaiden was on his
       feet a beat later. The original target could wait. He stepped
       onto the platform with the crowd, keeping his distance,
       following the man’s trail through the cool night air.
       Kaiden cut through a narrow side alley, circling ahead. The
       moment the cyclist rolled past, Kaiden’s hand shot out, grabbing
       the frame and yanking him sideways into the shadows. The bike
       clattered against the wall as Kaiden shoved him back, one fist
       twisted in the collar of his shirt, the other braced against
       stone.
       “Who sent you?” The words came low and edged, his thick Irish
       accent curling around them in a way that could just as easily be
       a threat or a promise.
       -fin-
       Joe’s back hit the wall hard enough to knock the air out of him.
       The sudden grip at his collar pinned him in place, the chill of
       the alley sinking through his shirt. His bike lay on its side, a
       wheel still spinning lazily in the dim light.
       Adrenaline roared in his ears, flooding every nerve with cold
       panic. He could smell the man up close now — smoke, faint
       cologne, and something sharper underneath. The gleam of the scar
       was even more striking here, close enough to touch. Those
       grey-blue eyes locked on him, hard and unreadable, and for a
       moment Joe couldn’t get his lungs to work.
       “I—” His voice cracked, useless. His pulse thundered. This was
       it, wasn’t it?
       A strange stillness washed over him, like a tide pulling the
       panic out to sea. His shoulders went slack against the wall. If
       this was how it ended — some stranger in an alley — he didn’t
       have the fight left in him to claw his way out. Five years ago,
       maybe. Not now.
       “No  one sent me. I won't scream, or beg you. Just…” He
       swallowed, forcing his gaze to meet the man’s. “You can take
       whatever you want. I won’t fight you or give you any trouble.”
       It wasn’t bravado — just fact, stripped bare.
       His gaze flicked briefly to the side, catching the shadow of his
       bike against the wall, before returning to the dangerous
       stranger in front of him. Joe didn’t make another move.
       If the man was going to kill him, he’d already decided how.
       --fin--
       Kaiden hadn’t expected that.
       Most men shoved into an alley fought, pleaded, cursed — anything
       to get loose. But this one… he went still. No trembling, no
       wide-eyed scramble. Just that quiet, stripped-down surrender.
       It threw him.
       For a moment, Kaiden just stood there, the distant rumble of the
       train fading into the muffled hum of the city beyond the alley.
       The stink of damp concrete, rusted metal, and some far-off fry
       grease curled in the cold air. Somewhere, a neon sign buzzed
       faintly, the pink light cutting across Joe’s face in soft
       pulses.
       Kaiden’s grip loosened, almost without him realizing. A
       gambler’s instinct — reading a table, spotting the bluff — told
       him this wasn’t an act. If it was, it was the best hand he’d
       ever seen played.
       He shifted his weight, still close enough that his shadow merged
       with Joe’s against the wall. “Then why were ya starin’ at me?”
       His voice came lower now, the bite dulled but not gone, each
       word dipped in the slow roll of his Irish accent.
       One brow arched slightly, like he was already laying odds on the
       answer. In his world, everyone watched for a reason — and Kaiden
       never bet blind.
       -fin-
       Joe’s heart thumped loudly in his ears, each beat echoing
       against the walls of his chest as he waited for the scarred man
       to react—or for some kind of response at all. The silence
       stretched, thick and uneven, and the loosening grip on his shirt
       made him glance back up, his gaze landing hesitantly on the
       other man’s face.
       “Staring?” Joe echoed, his voice low.
       Joe froze for a moment, then realized the truth—he must have
       been caught in the act while sketching. “I… I’m an artist,” he
       said, the words spilling out before he could second-guess them.
       “I was… sketching you. And the others on the train. It’s… kind
       of a habit. Or… a hobby, I guess.” His voice wavered slightly,
       almost apologetic. “The sketchbook’s in my bag, front pocket, if
       you want to see. You can—uh—check it, if you need proof.”
       He swallowed, shifting slightly, his fingers brushing the edge
       of the sketchbook. “You… can take the page out if you want,” he
       added softly, a quiet vulnerability in his tone. “Though it’s
       not like I share my art with anyone… at least, not anymore.”
       He let out a soft, self-conscious sigh, watching the scarred man
       carefully, hoping his honesty didn’t come off as strange—or
       desperate.
       -----
       The stutter caught him off guard. It wasn’t fear in the way he
       usually saw it — frantic, defensive — but something softer,
       almost… endearing. Harmless, even. Vulnerable in a way that
       didn’t fit the profile of someone tailing him. It tugged at
       something buried deep, something Kaiden didn’t care to name.
       Without a word, he slipped a hand into the messenger bag,
       fingers brushing over worn fabric before pulling free the
       sketchbook. The alley was dim, lit only by the bleeding neon
       from a bar sign down the block, its flicker casting Joe’s face
       in shifting washes of pink and shadow.
       Kaiden flipped the pages, boots scraping faintly against the
       grit underfoot. Quick, sure lines. Faces he half-recognized from
       the train car. And then — his own.
       The detail stopped him cold for a heartbeat. The scar, the set
       of his jaw, the particular shade of stillness in his gaze — all
       caught with a precision that made the page feel heavier in his
       hands.
       A smirk tugged faintly at his mouth. “Damn,” he murmured, voice
       dropping low, the edge gone for now. “You’re a talented one.”
       He let the book hang at his side, his other hand finally
       releasing the front of Joe’s shirt. It wasn’t that he trusted
       him — Kaiden didn’t do trust — but every bet was a read, and
       this one felt like it was leaning in his favor.
       He studied Joe for a moment longer, eyes narrowing just
       slightly, like he was still calculating the odds. “What’s your
       name?” he asked at last, curiosity threading through the
       question like a card being slid across the felt.
       -fin-
       The pressure on his shirt eased, and Joe instinctively pulled
       back just enough to breathe. His collar was rumpled, the faint
       heat of Kaiden’s grip still clinging to the fabric.
       The pink neon from the bar sign bled across the alley wall,
       flickering in irregular bursts. It caught Joe in the eyes, sharp
       and intrusive after the shadowed subway car. He lifted a hand,
       shielding his face from the pulsing light as if it might strip
       him bare in a way the man’s stare already had.
       His mouth felt dry, tongue sticking for a beat before he managed
       to answer.
       “...Joe.”
       Just that. Not Davidson. Not the rest. The name alone felt
       safer, less like handing over something that could be used
       against him.
       His hand lowered slowly, fingers twitching faintly at his side.
       The sketchbook still hung from the man’s grip, and Joe couldn’t
       decide if he wanted it back badly enough to reach for it — or if
       that might push him back into the wall.
       He forced himself to hold the stranger’s gaze for a second
       longer, trying to read him the way he had when he'd sketched the
       man only minutes before.
       --fin--
       The alley felt like a throat — narrow, damp, breathing them in.
       Neon bled along wet brick in slow pulses, a heartbeat that made
       the shadows flex. Somewhere beyond the mouth of the lane, a
       siren wailed and fell off, the city’s voice turning to a low,
       hungry hum.
       Kaiden weighed the stillness in Joe’s eyes the way he’d read a
       table: no bluff he could spot, no twitch that screamed trap.
       Just that quiet surrender that shouldn’t have tugged at him and
       somehow did. Dangerous, that tug — not the kind of risk he
       advertised around his crowd. The jokes in his world weren’t kind
       to men like him.
       He loosened the last of his grip and eased back a step, the
       sketchbook balanced in one hand. The pages fluttered once in the
       draft like cards on the cut. He flipped to the drawing of his
       own face, felt that small, unwilling jolt again, then shut the
       book and pressed it back against Joe’s chest.
       “Art like that doesn’t belong in an alley,” he said, voice low.
       “’Specially not this one.”
       A shape moved at the far end — just a passerby’s shadow, maybe —
       but it kept the edge sharp. Kaiden tilted his head, choosing his
       play. Keep him close, somewhere lit, where questions could be
       asked and exits mapped. Don’t bet blind.
       He hooked a thumb toward the pink-buzzing sign down the block.
       “Well… suppose I can buy ya a drink for yankin’ ya off your bike
       and scarin’ ya,” he drawled, the Irish thickening around the
       apology until it almost sounded like a dare. “You sit where I
       can see ya, I’ll put this—” a tap to the sketchbook “—on the
       table. We’ll call it even long enough for a whiskey and a few
       answers.”
       His gaze held Joe’s, steady as a coin on a knuckle. “C’mon, Joe.
       We move… or the night decides for us.”
       -fin-
       Joe’s hand came up slowly, fingers curling around the
       sketchbook. For a second, his knuckles brushed against Kaiden’s
       — brief, accidental, but enough to catch the lingering heat of
       his skin. The weight of the book felt grounding in his grip,
       something familiar after a night that had gone sideways fast.
       “...Coffee’s fine,” he said quietly, voice still rough from the
       chokehold of fear minutes before. Then, almost as an
       afterthought, “And food. Something cheap. It’s not like I’m
       rolling in extra cash.”
       His gaze flicked toward the street, then down to where his bike
       lay. He crouched, righting it and rolling it toward the nearest
       pole under a working street lamp. The lock clicked into place
       with a finality he didn’t quite feel about the decision he was
       making — following a man who could’ve just as easily left him
       bleeding in that alley.
       But the promise of coffee… and maybe the truth behind that scar…
       pulled him in a way reason couldn’t cut clean.
       The diner’s neon buzzed in quieter, steadier tones than the
       alley light, casting pale pink across the chrome fixtures as
       they stepped inside. The smell of coffee and frying bacon hit
       him immediately, almost enough to calm the tight coil in his
       chest.
       Joe glanced over as they slid into a booth, his sketchbook still
       close at hand.
       “So…” his eyes lingered briefly on the scar before meeting
       Kaiden’s, “what’s your name?”
       --fin--
       The bell over the door gave a tired jingle and then the diner
       swallowed the sound, same as it did most things. Chrome hissed
       under fluorescent hum. Bacon and old coffee. A jukebox nobody
       touched muttering something soft. The kind of place where nobody
       met your eyes and everybody minded their own business because
       that was the house rule.
       A waitress slid two mugs down without asking, like she knew
       better than to ask. Kaiden eased a couple of bills under the
       saucer before she could turn—cash up front buys privacy—and took
       the booth that let him see the door, the kitchen pass, and the
       convex mirror over the register all at once. Back to the wall.
       Boots light. One hand around the mug, the other idly rolling a
       quarter across his knuckles like a nervous tell he refused to
       break.
       Joe’s “So… what’s your name?” hung there a beat.
       “Kade,” he said, giving the short one without blinking. Safer
       that way. Names grow teeth in the wrong mouths.
       He set the sugar caddy a little off-center to block the
       sightline from a corner table where two men pretended to read
       the sports page. The walls here weren’t thin, but they had ears;
       that was the unspoken pact that made the place neutral ground.
       No business, no beef, no names louder than necessary. You came
       for eggs, you left with all your fingers.
       Kade took a slow sip, buying himself a count of three to study
       Joe over the rim. No shake in the hands now. Still pale at the
       edges, but steady. The kind of steady that made him curious in
       all the inconvenient ways.
       “Coffee an’ food’s on me,” he said, voice low enough that it
       didn’t carry. “Order what you like.”
       A server called “short stack up” from the pass; plates kissed
       porcelain. Kade’s eyes flicked to the mirror, then back to Joe.
       He’d already pushed his chips into the center by bringing the
       man here; might as well let the bet ride long enough to learn
       something worth the risk.
       “You always cut through that alley on your way home?” he asked,
       tone casual but edged. “Rough stretch for a man with a
       sketchbook an’ a bike. Street’s kinder than the lanes after
       midnight.”
       He nudged the menu toward Joe with two fingers, the quarter
       still walking across his knuckles. “We keep it light in here,”
       he added, a half-smile that wasn’t entirely friendly.
       “Questions, answers… no stories that make the walls listen
       harder than they already do.” A beat. “Start with this—why
       sketch strangers? And why me, in particular?”
       -----
       “...Kade.”
       Joe tried it out under his breath, tasting the syllable like it
       might tell him something more than it gave away. Short, sharp.
       Fit him.
       He glanced at the menu, but only once, eyes skimming over the
       laminated page before setting it aside. “I’ll take a grilled
       cheese,” he murmured, naming one of the cheaper items not out of
       embarrassment so much as practicality. His voice stayed soft,
       careful not to carry beyond the booth. “And… yeah. I can keep it
       light.”
       The relief was real — that Kade wasn’t trying to pry into the
       shadows Joe kept bolted shut.
       As for the question… Joe leaned back just enough to break eye
       contact for a second, running his thumb along the edge of his
       sketchbook. “I… draw people when I don’t want to feel
       invisible,” he admitted quietly. “Faces tell stories without
       asking for anything in return.”
       He hesitated, eyes flicking back up to Kade’s — a moment of
       weighing whether to hand over the next truth. “And you… you’ve
       got this look. Tense. Like you’re ready to move at any second.
       But your face—” Joe’s gaze lingered for half a breath on the
       scar, the line of Kade’s jaw. “—it’s… striking. Handsome, even.”
       The last word came quieter, as if it was the one that might bite
       him back.
       He dropped his eyes to the coffee, steam curling between them
       like a thin wall, and took a sip.
       --fin--
       The grilled cheese landed with a soft clack and a curl of steam.
       Kade thanked the waitress with a nod and a bill under the
       saucer—insurance paid in advance. The quarter walked across his
       knuckles, click, click—
       —and stopped dead at “handsome.”
       It wasn’t the word so much as where it landed: clean between the
       ribs, where he didn’t wear armor. He let the coin drop to his
       palm, closed a fist around it like he could hide the tell, and
       bought himself a sip of coffee he didn’t need.
       “Faces tell stories without askin’… aye,” he said, voice easy,
       carefully even. “You’ve got the hand for it.”
       He set the sugar caddy a hair to the left to block a sightline,
       then let his gaze skim the convex mirror, the door, the kitchen
       pass. The walls here were polite—but not deaf. No business, no
       beef, no names. That was the pact that kept the chrome shining.
       “You’ve quite the talent, Joe,” he went on, softer. “Why’re ya
       wanderin’ lanes like that wit’ a book like this? Sketchin’ in
       shadows gets you noticed by the wrong kind. Don’t you have a
       gallery t’ be at—or folks who’ll pay to be seen the way you see
       ’em?” A half-smile; the flirt tucked inside the scold.
       He pushed the plate toward Joe’s side of the table like an
       apology. “Eat. Coffee’s on me. We keep it light in here.”
       A pause. Decision made.
       “After,” he added, eyes flicking to the mirror again, “we take a
       walk. Two blocks over there’s a laundrette where the spin cycle
       drowns every story. No pryin’ eyes, no listenin’ walls. We can
       talk proper—if you want.”
       His thumb worried the edge of the quarter, then stilled. “Call
       it me settlin’ up for yankin’ you off your bike,” he said, a wry
       tilt to his mouth. “And… for the compliment I’m pretendin’ I
       didn’t hear.”
       He let the silence breathe just long enough to be a choice. “You
       good for that walk, Joe?”
       -fin-
       Joe blinked at the arrival of his sandwich, and gave a soft
       thank you a breath after Kade had spoken.
       He caught the pause of the coin between Kade's knuckles and
       wondered if he'd spoken too honestly for the other. Or...was
       Kade one of the types that didn't care for gays? Maybe he should
       have kept that to himself.
       Joe tested the heat of the grilled cheese, and blew on it before
       tackling a small bite. Out of habit, he began eating off the
       outer crust of the bread first.
       As he chewed, Joe noticed how Kade's gaze shifted around the
       diner. The other was clearly on edge which had Joe wondering if
       the tough guy ever really got the chance to relax.
       "Thank you," he said softly after the compliment on his drawings
       was said again. "I'm not usually the type people take notice of.
       Maybe I've just been invisible for so long I did't think anyone
       would ever see me."
       He snorted and set his sandwich down shaking his head. "Gallery?
       Me? Nope. I barely get by working three jobs. My drawing is for
       myself. As for family...I don't really have one," he added with
       a resigned sigh. "I used to want my art to be seen, now I don't
       really care,"
       Joe considered Kade's offer as he finished off the sandwich.
       "Sure, why not? Not like I've got any other plans other than
       falling into dark oblivion once I get home,"
       --fin--
       "Then let’s get to walkin’,” Kade said, easy as a shrug. He laid
       enough cash on the table to make the check and the question go
       away, slid out of the booth, and held the door like it was
       nothing.
       Outside, the night had teeth. They took the route that wasn’t
       quite a line—crossing where the light was strongest, slipping
       through the seams where street lamps didn’t touch. Kade kept the
       pace unhurried, a coin asleep in his palm, gaze skimming glass
       for reflections: a dark shop window, a car mirror, the chrome of
       a mailbox. Once, at a corner, he stopped to tie an imaginary
       lace, just long enough to see who else stopped. Nobody did. Good
       enough.
       The laundromat glowed like a fish tank on an empty
       block—fluorescent, humming, safe in the way noise can be safe.
       Heat rushed them: detergent, hot metal, steam. Dryers thumped
       like steady hearts. Kade tipped the woman at the counter before
       she could greet him, the kind of quiet arrangement that buys you
       a little corridor of privacy. She cracked a door marked
       EMPLOYEES ONLY with a flick of her eyes. He let Joe go ahead,
       then followed, door sighing shut behind them.
       The back room was all linoleum and lived-in: a battered couch
       with a plastic crinkle, a wobble-legged table scarred by coffee
       rings, two mismatched chairs, a tired vending machine casting a
       faint aquarium glow. The dryers’ roar on the other side of the
       wall was perfect—white noise chewing every word into harmless
       sound.
       Kade checked the secondary exit, slid the bolt, and left the
       door a finger’s width ajar for airflow. Back to the wall,
       always. He set his coin on the table, produced a dog-eared deck
       from his jacket, and let it waterfall from one hand to the
       other. Cards snapped and whispered; something in him loosened at
       the sound.
       “How d’you feel about a few hands?” he asked, tone light, eyes
       not. “Nothin’ fancy. Winner gets a question. Keep it simple,
       keep it clean.” A beat. “You can tap out anytime. I won’t
       press.”
       He pushed the deck across the table for Joe to cut, then glanced
       up, a quick slant of a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
       “And Joe… it’s dangerous to call a man handsome in public.” The
       cards rested under his fingers; his voice dropped, gentler.
       “Safer here.”
       He tapped the deck twice, like a ritual. “Your cut.”
       ------
       Joe slid out of the booth, sketchbook in hand, slipping it back
       into his messenger bag before falling in behind Kade. His face
       heated when Kade held the door for him, and he stepped past
       without comment, heading straight for his bike.
       The night air had turned mean—colder, sharper. He hunched into
       it, pushing his bike alongside Kade in silence. Every few steps
       Kade slowed, eyes flicking to shadows, checking over his
       shoulder like a man who’d lived too long with enemies. Joe kept
       quiet.
       They stopped outside a laundromat. Joe bent to lock up his bike
       while Kade moved ahead, holding the door. Heat hit him as soon
       as he stepped inside, thawing the ache from his hands.
       Kade jerked his chin toward the employee door. Joe’s brow ticked
       at the wordless order, but he went, pushing into a small back
       room. He dropped onto the couch—plastic crackling under him—and
       for a second he was a kid again, knees sticking to his parents’
       old sofa in the summer. The memory tightened in his chest.
       Kade’s voice cut through before it could drag him under. Joe
       looked up. The man was shuffling cards, hands deft, eyes
       unreadable.
       “Should warn you,” Joe said, letting a thin smile crease his
       mouth, “I’ve played a lot of poker. Might be hard to beat me.”
       He reached out, cut the deck clean, set the halves down. His
       fingers twitched with the urge to show off a trick—one of the
       ones that made the hospital kids laugh.
       Then Kade said something that made him still. His smile faded,
       eyes narrowing slightly in surprise.
       “So… you’re not offended by it?”
       --fin--
       Kade’s laugh was low and quick, a scrape of warmth under the
       dryer-thrum. “Dangerous thing t’say to a man with cards in his
       blood,” he muttered, amused. “High stakes it is—within reason.”
       He squared the deck, eyes easing but never careless, and
       dealt—one-two, one-two—letting the cards whisper across the
       wobble-legged table. From his pocket he set down a neat stack of
       quarters—laundromat chips—with a soft metallic clink that fell
       into rhythm with the spin cycle.
       “House rules,” he said, rolling a coin once across his knuckles.
       “Five-card draw. Winner gets a question, loser answers clean.
       You can tap out whenever.” A beat, the ghost of a grin. “And
       since you’re already tryin’ to peek at the river before we’ve
       anted—aye, you get one freebie.”
       He met Joe’s eyes, held. “No, I’m not offended.” The coin
       paused, went still. “Flattered, if I’m honest. Honesty just…
       costs more in my circles. So I don’t spend it in public.” The
       last word was softer, almost an apology for how the world is.
       He let out a breath, some wire in him loosening. Jacket
       unbuttoned, shoulders set but not braced. He nudged the quarters
       toward center. “Tell you what. Sweeten the pot. If you win a
       hand, I’ll give you the story you’re really after—scar and all.
       If I win, I want the real answer to why you stopped lettin’
       people see your art.” A tilt of his head. “Two hands, two
       truths. Fair?”
       He slid the deck across for Joe to draw. “And Joe,” he added, a
       wry curl to his mouth, “for the record—I heard you. Handsome.” A
       tiny shrug, like he was setting a fragile thing carefully on the
       table between them. “Safer here.”
       Cards waiting, eyes steady, he tapped the felt less wood twice
       like a dealer calling time. “Your bet.”
       -fin-
       Joe let out a soft laugh, shaking his head as he reached for the
       deck. “Cards in your blood, huh? That’s a hell of a claim,” he
       teased, though his fingers lingered over the cards a beat too
       long.
       He eyed the quarters like they were part of some sacred ritual,
       the clink of metal somehow grounding him. “Two hands, two
       truths,” he repeated, almost tasting the stakes. His lips
       quirked with a mixture of challenge and nerves. “Fair enough.
       But don’t think I’m giving away my secrets that easily.”
       When Kade’s words landed—handsome—Joe’s chest tightened in a way
       that made him almost choke on his own laugh. He glanced down at
       the cards, then back up, and offered a small, crooked smile.
       “Safer here, huh? Guess I’ll take your word for it.”
       “let me think a minute,” he said, voice steady even as his heart
       picked up pace. “And… maybe, if I win, you’ll have to tell that
       story sooner than later.”
       Joe tugged his baseball hat off and rested it on his knee,
       fingers threading through the long strands of hair he usually
       kept tucked away—a small gesture that marked him letting his
       guard down.
       He leaned forward, glancing down at his cards, counting and
       weighing them. A faint grin tugged at his lips. “Alright,” he
       murmured, pushing a stack of quarters toward the center. “I’m
       in. Let’s see if I can make this interesting.”
       ----
       The back room breathed around them—dryer-thrum steady, bleach
       and hot metal in the air, the vending machine casting that
       aquarium glow across the wobble-legged table. Quarters made a
       small, cathedral echo when they kissed the laminate; every clink
       felt like a bell.
       Kade dealt clean, wrists loose, card edges whispering across
       wood. He watched Joe now the way he watched a table: the way the
       hat came off and stayed on his knee, the way the shoulders
       dropped a notch, the little tell in the left thumb when the bet
       went in. Confidence looked good on him. Dangerous good.
       Something warm and old pressed at Kade’s ribs; he set a
       toothpick between his teeth to keep his mouth busy and let his
       jacket fall open, a small surrender to the heat and to the
       moment.
       Draw. Joe took one. Kade took two. The pot grew by a clink and a
       slide.
       “Cards?” he said, voice easy. Joe tapped. Kade tapped back.
       He let the silence run exactly long enough to feel like a
       choice, then laid them down one by one, casual as a coin roll:
       seven… eight… nine… ten… jack. Not showy, not loud—just a
       straight that landed like a quiet blade.
       The toothpick shifted at the corner of his mouth; a slow,
       crooked smile followed. He met Joe’s eyes across the cheap
       laminate and let his guard drop that last inch, enough to be
       seen.
       “First hand’s mine,” he said, softer than the grin. “House takes
       one truth.”
       He gathered the quarters with his fingertips but didn’t drag
       them far, leaving the pot as a small silver constellation
       between them. The deck sat under his palm, warm from his hands.
       “You told me once,” Kade went on, “that you stopped lettin’
       people see your art. I want the real reason.” A beat. Not a
       demand—an ask. “No gallery answers. Just you.”
       He thumbed the deck, then stilled it. “Then we deal again,” he
       added, nodding toward the door like he could already feel the
       night beyond it, “and if the cards are kind, maybe I pay you
       back with a story of my own—scar and all. After that, we take a
       smoke break. Fresh air’s better company for ghosts.”
       He tipped his chin to Joe—your move—eyes steady, the danger of
       the world held at the edges while the room, for once, felt like
       it belonged to just the two of them.
       -----
       Joe’s gaze stayed on the cards a moment longer, his fingers idly
       brushing the brim of the hat on his knee. “Alright,” he said
       quietly, not quite meeting Kade’s eyes at first. “No gallery
       answers.”
       He drew in a breath, slow and even, like he was checking if his
       voice still worked. “It was my sister,” he said finally. “She
       died. After that… my parents split. Everything went quiet inside
       me. Numb. Like there wasn’t anything worth putting on paper
       anymore—at least, not for anyone else to see.”
       He shrugged, but it was a tired one, not casual. “I guess I
       figured if I didn’t share, I couldn’t lose anything else.”
       Joe’s eyes lifted then, steady but not defensive—just open in a
       way they hadn’t been all night. “That’s the real reason.”
       He leaned back slightly, letting the truth sit there in the warm
       hum of the back room, and reached for the deck. “Your deal.”
       Then he was quickly dealing the cards with cool quick efficiency
       before setting the remaining deck on the wobbly table.
       ---fin--
       The deck moved to Kade and then away again—Joe’s deal was clean,
       quick, no flourish. Dryers thumped a steady backbeat; the
       vending machine hummed like a low note. Kade fanned his cards,
       toothpick shifting at the corner of his mouth.
       Not pretty. He could make it look pretty.
       He tossed in two quarters like they were nothing, let three
       cards slide back for the draw, and took his replacements without
       blinking. Still thin. He raised again anyway, eyes on Joe
       instead of the hand—watching the way that hat on his knee tipped
       a degree, the way his breath leveled. Cool. Unmoved.
       Call.
       Kade laid down first, casual as smoke: a pair dressed up like it
       owned the place. Joe answered with quiet efficiency—two pair,
       neat and unshowy—and the lamplight caught the hint of a smile.
       Pot to Joe. Question to Joe.
       -fin-
       Joe pulled the quarters toward himself with a small, unhurried
       motion, stacking them in front of him. The faint curl at the
       corner of his mouth didn’t quite reach his eyes, but it was
       there all the same.
       “Guess that’s mine, then,” he said, settling the cards in a tidy
       pile off to the side. The brim of the hat on his knee bobbed as
       he adjusted his seat, long hair sliding forward across his
       shoulder.
       He let the silence stretch for a breath, like he was weighing
       what to spend his win on—then met Kade’s gaze. “Alright,” he
       said, voice even. “That scar you keep talking about. How’d you
       get it?”
       No lean forward, no push—just the question placed cleanly
       between them, like another card face-up on the table.
       --fin--
       Kade meant to give the short version.
       He didn’t.
       He stacked his losing hand into a neat little grave and let his
       shoulder find the cool cinder block. The dryers on the other
       side of the wall kept time—steady thump, soft hiss—domestic
       noises dressed up as thunder. Something in him loosened.
       “My da had cards where most men keep a conscience,” he said,
       thumb riding the deck’s edge. “Taught me the sums, the patience…
       and all the shortcuts you’re not meant to know.”
       The quarter walked once across his knuckles; he pocketed it
       before the tell got loud. “Ma had the soft heart to match.
       Watchin’ me turn into him cracked it. He went first. She
       followed quick. Some houses just fall quiet all at once.”
       He glanced down at his hands, then up. “I left. New country, no
       anchors. Figured I could outrun grief if I kept movin’. Instead
       I found the bottom of a bottle and the wrong end of a table.
       Money went. I borrowed to keep the wheel spinnin’.”
       Two fingers traced the pale seam on his cheek, not
       dramatic—habit. “When the due date came and I couldn’t pay, they
       took me downstairs. One bulb. Concrete. The man didn’t shout; he
       didn’t need to. He just… marked me.” A small tilt of the head.
       “Boxcutter’s quiet work. Quick, too. ‘So you remember who owns
       the rest of you,’ he said.”
       He let a breath out, humorless. “That should be the end of it.
       But you asked clean, so I’ll pay clean.”
       His voice rounded, the Irish softening the corners. “It wasn’t
       the cut that stuck. It was how easy the mean part of me learned
       the job after. Collections. Enforcer. You do it long enough, the
       decent bits go quiet. I kept bettin’ I could be both men at
       once. House kept takin’ its rake.”
       Silence rolled in with the dryer-hum. Kade met Joe’s eyes and
       didn’t look away—no bluff, no cover—long enough to let it land.
       “That’s the scar,” he finished, mouth ticking wry. “And what
       rides with it.”
       He nudged the deck toward Joe with two fingers; the cards
       whispered. “Your deal—unless you fancy that smoke. Ghosts tell
       better stories in fresh air.”
       ----
       Joe sat back, the weight of Kade’s story threading through him
       like cold water. Not pity—recognition. He could see the shape of
       it, the jagged edges that didn’t sand down with time. Different
       scars, same kind of silence after.
       “Yeah,” he said finally, voice low. “Guess we both got things
       we’d rather leave in the dark.”
       He reached for the deck, but his hand stilled halfway. A faint,
       crooked smile tugged at his mouth, his eyes fixed on Kade’s.
       “There’s a third option, though,” he murmured. “One where we
       stop digging up ghosts and… get lost in something else for a
       while.”
       The air between them felt close, dryer-hum gone muffled under
       the rush in his ears. Joe leaned forward, slow enough to give
       Kade space to stop him, then crossed the last inches in one
       smooth movement, bracing his hands on the edge of the
       wobble-legged table.
       His lips caught Kade’s in a brief, heat-soaked kiss—testing,
       tasting, like the start of something they both knew could burn.
       --fin--
       The kiss hit him like a card turned over he hadn’t seen
       coming—clean, undeniable. Kade’s first instinct was the old one:
       freeze, count exits, listen for footsteps. The coin he’d been
       palming slipped, tapped once against the laminate, and stilled.
       He didn’t stop Joe.
       Heat moved through him in a slow, convincing wave. The somber
       weight of stories fell off like a coat shrugged from the
       shoulders, and he let himself meet the kiss—testing at first,
       then sure, his hand cupping Joe’s jaw, thumb finding the quick
       beat at his throat. The dryers’ roar swallowed the soft scrape
       of the table as Kade drew Joe closer; quarters skittered like
       scattered chips, silver bright in the vending-machine glow.
       “I like your option better,” he breathed against Joe’s mouth,
       the Irish curling warmer now. “Say the word if you want me t’
       stop.”
       He didn’t pull away; he pulled Joe in—guided, careful, the kind
       of want that remembered where the walls were. The back room held
       them: linoleum underfoot, steam in the air, a hum big enough to
       hide a moment like this. Kade sat back onto the couch, giving
       Joe a gentle tug that asked and answered in the same motion,
       settling him across his lap. For a heartbeat Kade just looked at
       him—close enough to memorize the details he’d seen in
       graphite—then kissed him again, deeper, steadier, like leaning
       into a flame he’d spent years circling.
       When he finally drew a breath, his forehead rested to Joe’s,
       voice low. “We can keep forgettin’ right here ’til the spin
       cycle quits,” he murmured, eyes flicking once to the door out of
       habit. “Or…”
       A faint, wry smile. “You know a place for this kind of
       forgettin’? Somewhere the night won’t try t’ collect on us?” He
       brushed a knuckle along Joe’s cheek, all-in and perfectly aware
       of it. “Your call, Joe.”
       -fin-
       Joe’s breath came a little uneven, heat still chasing through
       him from the kiss. The back room, with all its hum and glow,
       felt smaller now—like they’d pulled the edges in tight around
       themselves. His eyes, usually muted, were sharp and alive, fixed
       on Kade with something closer to hunger than caution.
       “Yeah,” he said, voice low but certain. “Let’s go somewhere
       else.” A beat, a faint curve to his mouth. “My place’s close. No
       spin cycle to rush us.”
       Before Kade could answer, Joe leaned in again, stealing a second
       kiss—slower but deeper, his hands finding the shorter crop of
       Kade’s hair, fingers sliding through it like he wanted to learn
       the feel by heart. He didn’t break the kiss until his lungs
       demanded it, and even then he stayed close, lips brushing the
       corner of Kade’s mouth as he caught his breath.
       --fin--
       Joe’s answer put a slow, hungry smirk on Kade’s mouth—but it was
       the second kiss that undid him. The sound that slipped from his
       throat was low, unguarded, and he felt it all the way down his
       spine. When Joe finally drew back, close enough that their
       breath mingled, Kade’s pulse was a hard, steady drum in his
       ears.
       His hands hovered at Joe’s hips, knuckles brushing fabric,
       fighting the urge to close that last inch and keep him there. He
       tipped his head just enough that his lips grazed Joe’s ear when
       he spoke.
       “Lead the way,” he murmured, the Irish wrapping warm around each
       word. “Before my restraint walks out the door without us.”
       He let his hands rest at Joe’s waist for the briefest
       moment—steady, claiming—before pushing to his feet. The hum of
       the dryers felt louder now, too close, like the walls themselves
       were leaning in to watch. Kade kept his eyes on Joe as they
       moved, the rest of the room already fading from his focus.
       “Your place, then,” he said, voice low and certain, the corners
       of his mouth tugging into a promise. “Somewhere the night
       belongs to us.”
       ----
       Joe’s lips curved, a spark flickering in his eyes that hadn’t
       been there all night. “Guess you better keep up, then,” he said,
       sliding his hat back on and hooking his messenger bag over his
       shoulder.
       He led them out through the warm hum of the laundromat, the
       night air biting just enough to make the heat between them
       sharper. Their steps fell into an unspoken rhythm, shoulders
       brushing now and then as they cut through dim-lit streets. Joe
       didn’t look back—he didn’t need to—but every so often, he felt
       Kade’s gaze like a hand at his back.
       The climb to his second-floor apartment was quick, the click of
       his keys loud in the narrow hall. He pushed the door open,
       letting Kade in first before kicking it shut behind them. The
       lock slid home with a soft, decisive sound.
       Joe’s bag hit the floor without ceremony. In the next breath, he
       was on Kade—fingers curling into the front of his jacket, mouth
       finding his in a kiss that was rougher, hungrier, nothing held
       back. He pushed him gently but insistently toward the bedroom,
       lips breaking only long enough to pull in air and murmur, “This
       way.”
       The room was dim, city light spilling in pale and soft through
       the blinds. Joe kept moving, guiding Kade until the backs of his
       legs brushed the bed. He stole another kiss—long, deep, his
       hands sliding up into Kade’s hair again, holding him there like
       he meant to memorize every second.
       --fin--
       The heat between them was heady—thick in Kade’s veins, dizzying
       without a drop of liquor or a line of anything. It was a
       different kind of high, one he hadn’t chased before, and it
       burned cleaner, sharper. The kind of craving that set its hook
       deep.
       He followed Joe up without a word, the quiet between them
       stretched tight with want. The narrow hallway, the faint scent
       of coffee grounds and paper from Joe’s place—it all blurred at
       the edges, eclipsed by the magnetic pull of the man in front of
       him.
       When the door shut and the lock slid home, Kade melted into the
       kiss that met him—hungry, unrestrained. His hands found Joe’s
       hips, his back, anywhere he could anchor himself. The world
       beyond those walls ceased to exist.
       The bedroom swallowed them in soft shadow, city light spilling
       through the blinds in fractured stripes. When the back of his
       knees hit the mattress, Kade let himself fall without
       hesitation, drawing Joe down with him in one fluid pull. The bed
       dipped under their weight, and his fingers threaded into Joe’s
       hair, holding him there as if letting go might break whatever
       spell had taken hold.
       “I want you,” he growled, the words low and certain, his accent
       wrapping around them like a promise.
       His gaze locked on Joe’s, the kind of look that made it clear—he
       wasn’t thinking about the next hand of cards, the next job, or
       the man he had to be outside these walls. Right now, he was all
       in.
       -fin-
       #Post#: 1436--------------------------------------------------
       Re: All In- Joe and Kaiden
       By: Minyaagar Date: February 16, 2026, 6:03 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Joe’s breath hitched at the pull, the feel of Kade’s hands in
       his hair sparking down his spine. The growled words landed low
       in his gut, turning the warmth in his chest molten.
       A slow, dangerous smile curved his mouth. “Yeah?” he murmured,
       leaning in until his lips brushed Kade’s jaw. He nipped lightly,
       then again at the curve just beneath his ear—sharp enough to
       draw a sound, soft enough to leave him wanting more.
       His hands roamed down Kade’s chest, over the open line of his
       jacket, palms flat like he was mapping every inch. The jacket
       bunched under his fingers, and with deliberate slowness, he
       began working it off Kade’s shoulders. His fingers slipped to
       the hem of Kade’s shirt, tugging it upward in teasing inches,
       skin meeting cool air.
       He shifted his weight deliberately, hips pressing just enough to
       make his point. “On top,” Joe breathed against his skin,
       trailing another nip along his throat, “or bottom?” His gaze
       flicked up, wicked and knowing. “I’m good with either.”
       Before Kade could answer, Joe kissed him again—deep,
       unhurried—as his hands slid higher, peeling away the first
       barrier between them. The question hung between them like a bet
       on the table, and Joe was already raising the stakes.
       --fin--
       For a heartbeat, Kade froze, the weight of Joe’s touch and the
       question hitting him harder than any bottle or bet ever had.
       Every defense he usually kept stacked neat as a poker hand
       slipped, one after the other.
       Joe’s hands on his chest, the slow peel of his shirt, the press
       of hips—he was undone before he’d even spoken. The Irishman let
       out a breath that landed half as a growl, half as a laugh, head
       tipping back against the mattress.
       “Christ, you’re trouble,” he rasped, the words rough with want.
       His accent curled thick around each syllable, betraying how much
       he’d already given up the fight.
       Then he drew a coin from his pocket, holding it between thumb
       and forefinger, gleam catching the spill of city light through
       the blinds. A smirk tugged at his mouth, hungry and reckless.
       “I’m good with both. Why not leave it to chance, hm?”
       The coin danced across his knuckles, the old habit now a dare,
       before he flicked it up into the air. His free hand slid to
       Joe’s hip, grip firm but inviting, anchoring himself to the fire
       that was already pulling him under.
       “All in,” he murmured as the coin spun, eyes locked on Joe’s
       like the outcome barely mattered. “Whichever way it falls, I’m
       yours tonight.”
       -fin-
       The coin spun once, twice, before smacking into Joe’s palm with
       a sharp, satisfying slap. He kept it closed a moment longer than
       necessary, his gaze locked on Kade’s, a slow grin tugging at his
       mouth like he already knew the answer.
       When he finally turned his hand over, the coin lay there—tails
       glinting in the fractured citylight.
       Joe’s eyes darkened with something equal parts heat and
       certainty. “Looks like I’m on top,” he murmured, his voice low
       enough to make the air feel thicker.
       The coin slipped from his fingers, forgotten as his hands slid
       back into Kade’s hair, tugging just enough to tilt his head. He
       kissed him again—deeper, harder—pressing him into the mattress,
       hips fitting snug over Kade’s as if claiming the space without a
       single word.
       “Your rules, my lead,” Joe whispered against his lips, already
       pushing Kade’s shirt up, palms skimming over warm skin like he
       meant to learn every inch by touch alone.
       Joe’s hands didn’t waste time, sliding Kade’s shirt the rest of
       the way off and tossing it aside without breaking the kiss. His
       weight settled over him, firm and certain, hips pinning Kade to
       the mattress in a way that left no question who was in control
       now.
       The heat between them thickened, each brush of skin on skin
       fanning it higher. Joe’s mouth claimed Kade’s again—deeper this
       time, tongue tracing a slow, deliberate path that left them both
       chasing the next breath. One hand braced on the mattress beside
       Kade’s head; the other roamed down his chest, fingers splaying
       to feel the jump of muscle under his palm.
       When Joe finally pulled back, it wasn’t far—just enough to drag
       his teeth lightly along Kade’s jaw before finding that spot at
       his throat he’d nipped earlier. This time, his mouth lingered,
       leaving a kiss just shy of a mark, his breath hot against Kade’s
       skin.
       “You said all in,” Joe murmured, lifting his head to lock eyes
       with him. The faintest, wicked grin curved his lips. “So don’t
       hold back on me now.”
       He pressed him down again with a slow grind of his hips,
       claiming space, claiming the moment, every movement
       deliberate—meant to keep Kade exactly where Joe wanted him.
       --Fin--
       The glint of tails caught the citylight and Kade’s throat worked
       on a hard swallow. For a man who lived on chance, who’d bet his
       soul a hundred times at a table, this flip carried more weight
       than all of it combined.
       It had been years since he’d given up the reins like this. Years
       since he’d let anyone pin him down, not just with hands but with
       trust. Yet here he was—flat against the mattress, heat curling
       through him in ways he hadn’t dared let himself feel.
       “All in,” he rasped, the words little more than a vow as his
       accent thickened, roughened by want.
       He didn’t fight it. Didn’t even try. Joe’s mouth, Joe’s hands,
       Joe’s weight pressing him down—Kade welcomed it like fire after
       frost, a burn he needed. His shirt was gone before he realized,
       the cool air a shock against heated skin, his breath breaking
       under the steady drag of Joe’s palms.
       His fingers flexed once against the sheets, then slid up Joe’s
       back, pulling him closer with a desperation that betrayed how
       completely he’d caved. The gambler’s smirk was gone, replaced
       with something rawer, open in a way Kade never let himself be.
       “You win,” he murmured against Joe’s lips, the words a surrender
       and a dare all at once.
       -fin-
       Joe’s answer wasn’t in words at first—it was in motion. He
       pushed up just enough to strip off his own shirt, the fabric
       gone in a blink, then kicked free of jeans and boxers with a
       practiced ease. The citylight caught the lines of him, stark and
       alive, before he was leaning back down, heat to heat, lips
       crashing against Kade’s once more.
       His hands moved with surety, undoing the button of Kade’s pants,
       sliding the zipper down slow as if savoring the sound. He peeled
       denim away inch by inch, then boxers, until there was nothing
       left between them but skin and the press of breathless need.
       When Kade whispered his surrender, Joe pulled back just far
       enough to catch his eyes, his own gaze lit with that same molten
       fire. His mouth curved into a small, knowing smile as he
       murmured against him,
       “In this type of game,” Joe said, voice low and edged with heat,
       “there are no losers, Kade.”
       He punctuated it with another kiss—deep, claiming—his hands
       sliding over bare skin like he was staking his claim over every
       inch.
       His mouth began wandering lower, nipping along Kade's jaw,
       throat and clavicle. Not hard, but in a teasing manner to see
       just how much sweet torture Kade could endure.
       "You sure do taste good," Joe purred as he moved down to lick
       and tease one of Kade's nipples before sucking on it a bit
       roughly. Then he moved to repeat the treatment to Kade's other
       nipple.
       When he finally had enough, he made his way down Kade's gorgeous
       scarred body, licking, nipping and leaving a few dark marks in
       the journey towards Kade's twitching member.
       He paused a breathe away from it and let his gaze look up at
       Kade as he slowly licked over the tip slowly. With a pleased
       sound, he smiled and then moved in and began pleasuring Kade's
       member, licking and then sucking slowly up the length. He pulled
       back after a few minutes and gave Kade an assessing look.
       "If it's been awhile, I may need to take my time getting you
       ready," he murmured thoughtfully. "Want me to use a condom? I'm
       clean, just got tested a couple months ago, " he assured Kade.
       While it sometimes got awkward when he brought it up, Joe always
       made sure to inform anyone he slept with he was tested
       regularly.
       While he waited for Kade's answer, Joe stroked his hands gently
       over Kade's body and member.
       ---Fin--
       The heated edge to Joe’s voice coupled with the careful hands
       that peeled away the barrier of clothes had Kaiden squirming and
       groaning. His nipples hyper sensitive to the attention they got.
       The room was practically spinning in the heat between the both
       of them. Marks from Joe’s love bites littering his body like a
       love trail before finally Joe reached Kaiden's needy member.
       It sprang up when freed and Kaiden's head fell back at the
       attention Joe’s mouth gave it, already bringing him close to
       release. "It... it has been a while," he admitted with a dark
       blush. "Years in fact..." He tacked on before his cheeks got
       even warmer at Joe’s question of condom use and std tests.
       "I ain't been with anybody since the like time I fucked someone,
       I'm... clean... you... don't need one..." He answered almost
       shyly.
       -fin-
       Joe pulled his long hair back and slid a hair tie around it
       making a low loose bun to keep it from falling in the way as he
       listened to Kade's response, noting the deep blush that filled
       the other's cheeks, neck and ears.
       "Then let's not rush this," he murmured back as he shifted up
       and leaned over Kade and reached to open the side dresser
       drawer, pulling out a bottle of lubricant.
       He laid it on Kade's abdomen momentarily and then kissed him
       slowly, lingering for a few moments as his hands moved to open
       the bottle between them and drizzled some over Kade's abdomen.
       He pulled back, shifting to move Kade's legs up around his hips
       and settled on his knees.
       The slight shift had the pool of lubricant start sliding down
       towards Kade's chest. Joe hummed softly his hands moving to
       catch it and started rubbing it over the man's arousal watching
       as it grew harder before getting a bit more and rubbing between
       the cleft and over Kade's hole.
       "Would it feel better if I use my tongue and mouth first?" He
       asked in a gentle lustful tone as his fingers pressed and rubbed
       and his other hand slowly rubbed and teased the hard member with
       slow strokes.
       --Fin--
       It seemed Joe meant business as the man pulled up his hair
       Before mentioning they wouldn't rush. The man leaning over
       Kaiden to grab the items he needed. He felt the cold plastic of
       the bottle on his stomach, offset by the intensity of the slow
       kiss he was given. His body practically begging for more.
       A slight flinch left Kaiden when he felt  the cold  lube hit his
       body but the way Joe played with it and used it just turned him
       on more. His hips bucking every so often at the sensation.
       "I don't know... do whatever feels right... use your mouth, your
       hands, your di.ck... I'm yours.... at least for tonight..."
       Kaiden said impassioned and needy from what Joe had already
       done. Moans escaping him at every touch.
       -fin'
       Joe made a humming sound as he kept moving his fingers inside
       and his other hand slowly moving up and down Kaiden's member.
       The needy reply had his eyes growing darker.
       "So..all of the above," he said with a slight smirk before
       maneuvering down, lifting the Kaiden's legs over his shoulders
       his mouth and tongue getting back in on pleasuring the man.
       When he had Kaiden squirming and begging from his attentive
       tongue, he pulled back and moved Kaiden's legs a bit wider.
       Then he very slowly pressed his throbbing cock into the other
       inch by inch. It was a slow impalement, until he was deep inside
       of Kaiden.
       Though he ached to lay claim and move, he forced himself to stay
       still and began nibbling and marking up Kaiden's clavicle, neck
       and jaw before biting the others bottom lip gently.
       "Ready?"
       --Fin--
       The words spoken and then attention given had Kaiden melting
       into the mattress, the pleasure overtaking his body with every
       touch and eveywhere that amazingly wet tounge touched. The
       gambler couldn't remember the last time anyone had gotten him
       this needy, this ready for being claimed.
       "Please just fuck me already!" Finally fell from the Irishman's
       lips as his body ached for more. The swift reaction of Joe had
       Kaiden breathless, the gentle press in, barely painful from
       Joe's sheer size, had Kaiden swimming with desire for more.
       Every inch a victory. When Joe finally filled him fully, the
       onslaught of attention and marks had Kaiden a puddle of desire.
       "Gods yes, fuck me please! Don't hold back..." He begged
       shamelessly. All masks and walls lost to passion.
       -fin-
       Joe's hands wandered over Kaiden's body, teasing it a bit more
       before he gripped the other's waist tightly and began to move
       quickly.
       Kaiden's pleading words had all his restraint disappearing as he
       thrust harder and faster into his new partner's body.
       "Fu.ck you are so hot and tight, Kade," he groaned back.
       Joe was soon moving Kade's left leg up and caressing a hand over
       it as he continued his rough treatment.
       "You like that do ya? If there's more you want, tell me. Talk
       dirty Kade," he purred and then reached up to squeeze the others
       chest avd twisted his nipple a bit roughly. "What positions do
       you like the most? Maybe being taken from behind? Hands
       exploring and touching all over? Teeth marking up your neck?
       Your ears sucked and nibbled on?"
       -Fin-
       *****************************************************