Stay Close

The door closed behind me. Standing at the top of the stairs, I looked down at the seemingly endless steps before me. I remained frozen in place, mind turning. My eyes moved over to my hand which was clenched in a fist. It wasn’t just that, my entire body seemed to be quivering. I didn’t need to reach inside to understand how my body was suffering from the rage I didn't feel.

It wasn’t directed at Chloe. Despite her words and emotions, she was a victim in this. What Adam was doing was beyond illegal. It was dangerous. I had no idea his Gift could be used that way. Taxing as it was, his control of it was masterful. It wasn’t a subtle pull to see him in a favorable light, but he had somehow actively targeted her negative emotions towards him and twisted others to elevate him to something like a friend. And when she looked at me, how his Gift turned her emotions against me by amplifying negative things so she believed I was causing them.

This situation was completely unnecessary. If it was just about sex and her Gift, I wouldn’t be reacting like this. Adam was hardly the only man benefiting from Chloe’s Gift. Adam crossed the line when he began twisting her noise, playing with it as if it were a toy. You couldn’t separate someone’s noise from the person. To change the noise was to change the person. He had violated her in a way no individual should.

And I had been powerless to stop him. Taking physical action would only have resulted in Chloe getting involved. The state she was in, I couldn't be sure whose side she would take. No way was I going to risk that. The emotional and mental fallout she would have if his Gift drove her to choose him over me in a physical altercation would be devastating.

What I hated most was knowing Chloe would endure the fallout of this. Once his Gift disappeared and her euphoria faded, she would face the horror of her actions. What she said to me, how she acted. It would tear at her heart. All my efforts to improve her self-esteem were going to be trashed. Maybe even worsened.

All this so Adam could send his fucking message: give me what I want, or I will take it.

As much as I wanted to leave, I couldn’t leave her alone with him. Even if there was a door between us, I could still see her noise, foreign as it was. Her desire was increasing, filling all I could see. Excitement spiked followed quickly by fulfillment. From there, there were steady spikes of joy, enthusiasm, and lust. So much lust. I didn’t know if it was her Gift pulling her into the moment or if Adam still had enough strength to manipulate her. Either way, the effect was the same. She was lost in her own noise. I didn’t need to see her to know that. It was so strong, like someone shouting in my ears. Yet it wasn’t Chloe. None of this was Chloe.

The bell rang and yet it continued. I remained still, waiting for the inevitable. The spikes were growing closer together and coming faster. The second bell rang, starting class and I leaned against the wall.

Euphoria flooded her noise, washing away everything else. It swirled, merging with Adam’s as both shared one single noise for the briefest of moments. And then it separated, a piece of Chloe’s noise remaining with him in the form of pure euphoria. Exhaustion gripped them both, though her euphoria was keeping her in a state of excitement.

Even though they finished, the minutes ticked by as I realized that I had been standing here when her Gift fired off and I felt nothing. I looked down at my hands, the emotions inside me still as distant as they had always been. I could see her noise perfectly fine, but her noise did not reach me. That knowledge weighed heavily on me.

The door opened and Adam stumbled through. He looked like he could barely stand. Shock ran through his noise as he saw me standing there. On the outside, he gave me a smug grin. “Fucking her never gets old. I’ve had a lot of pussy, but there is something about her that is a class of its own.” Reaching out, he slapped me playfully on the shoulder. “But you know that, don’t you? Lucky bastard like you gets it for free.” He paused, tilting his head slightly. “Or does she make you pay for it too? The only thing she loves more than fucking is money, so how does that work with you two? What’s the boyfriend discount? Half off? A third?”

My silence unsettled him. He was desperately trying to enrage me, yet he was attacking emotions I did not have. My anger towards him was not based on jealousy regarding sexual relations with Chloe, but on how he had twisted her noise. How he had used his Gift to turn her into someone she was not—even if it was temporary. Her noise—Chloe—was touched by him in an unforgivable manner.

He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. I could see how taxing his Gift had been. He was doing his best to put on a show of strength, but between his Gift and sex with Chloe, he didn’t have much left. Attacking him would be child’s play.

“God I love how easily she cums. Nothing beats pumping a load into a slut screaming for it. Hearing her beg for my cum is such a fucking turn-on. Can you believe she actually cums when she gets it? Every time. It's like her body was designed to be a cumdump.”

Ah. I understood why he was continuing this pointless baiting. He wanted to enrage me enough that I would act on it. Adam was willing to take a few punches, maybe even something more because he would own me then. My mind drifted to the security camera that watched the rooftop door. The camera that was now on due to the period change. Acquiring the security footage would be simple for a man like Adam. Knowing him, he would love having something like that to **** me. I could only imagine the things he would inflict on both Chloe and myself if he had something like that.

I smiled. His noise lit up, confused and on edge at my unusual reaction. “Glad you enjoyed yourself.” He was at a loss considering my smile probably seemed genuine to him. I took a step towards him and he stepped back. The momentary spike of fear suggested he wasn't totally ready to take those punches. All men feared pain. It was instinct after all.

He glanced towards the camera, all but confirming his intentions. Reaching out, I patted his shoulder, my smile still in place. I knew it was making him uncomfortable. I made a show of brushing off his jacket and smoothing out some of the wrinkles. My voice was soft as I spoke. “If you ever use your Gift on her like you did today—”

“You’ll what?” he asked, noise full of confidence. The euphoric remains of Chloe’s Gift was boosting his enjoyment even more. Pressing his advantage, he wore a smug smile as he took a step towards me. “What could you possibly do?”

I said nothing, keeping my eyes locked with his.

“Yeah. That’s what I thought.” He backed away. Still smiling, he started down the stairs. “I warmed her up for you. Enjoy your sloppy seconds, Jake,” he said with a wave.

“Adam.” He stopped, turning with the smug smile still on his face. “What do you fear?”

He chuckled. “Really? Fine, I’ll play,” he said, amusement in his voice and noise. “You want to know what I fear? Boredom.”

I stared with my stone mask and unblinking gaze. “Do you know what I fear, Adam? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

There was a long silence as we stared at each other. Slowly, he smiled.

“Nice try, Jake. Really. A-plus effort.” He made a show of clapping his hands a few times. I said nothing, my eyes not moving from his. He eventually turned away, continuing on his way with his trademark swagger. But he couldn’t hide from my Gift. I knew how off-putting my lack of reaction could be, and I saw that I got under his skin. It wasn’t enough to keep him away. It never was for assholes like him. But it might buy us some time.

Through the door, I found Chloe sitting on the bench. Her noise was a mess. Between her Gift and the remnants of Adam’s, it was hard to get a read on her. She seemed to be in a daze.

“Chloe?”

Her head lulled over towards me, a smile on her face. “Jake?” she slurred before giggling. Sitting beside her, I brushed the hair from her face. She had trouble looking at me. Focusing on anything in general seemed to be hard for her. Adam had done a number on her. All I could see was her once beautiful noise mutilated by two Gifts. Fortunately, it was slowly healing. A few hours and she would be back to normal.

“Come on,” I said in a soft voice as I grabbed her bag. “Let’s get you cleaned up…”

Opening it, I found the usual school supplies and a textbook. Digging around, I found a packet of tissues next to the two boxes of condoms with one being almost empty. She didn’t resist as I spread her legs. A soft moan escaped her parted lips as I gently cleaned her up. Looking up, I found her staring at me.

“I feel weird,” she said with a soft smile.

“Adam used his Gift on you. Between his Gift and yours, your mind is a bit confused right now.”

She giggled again as I finished. “You want a turn too?” she asked as she spread her legs wider. “I’ll give you a discount.”

“Chloe…” I wish I could feel something. Grief. Pain. Something. But I felt nothing but the thinnest of buzzing at the edge of thought.

Her expression shifted, her smile dropping to be replaced by a serious look. “I…” Groaning, she put a hand to her temple, rubbing it. “I’m not…”

“Shh,” I said as I wrapped the used tissues in some clean ones and put them in the open condom box. “You’ll be okay.”

Her smile was back, as was her infectious giggle as I got her panties back on.

After some effort, I managed to get her on my back. Grabbing her bag, I walked towards the door as she wrapped herself tightly around me as I carried her. Somewhere along the way to the infirmary, she fell silent as her noise blinked out. I was actually thankful for that. Her sick noise was upsetting. The nurse was not happy to see her, giving me a disproving look as I helped her onto one of the cots. Watching her sleep, I ran my hand along her cheek before brushing a strand of hair from her face.

“She’ll be okay. She can get a bit loopy if she’s been with too many guys in a short period of time. You didn’t hurt her,” the nurse said as she appeared beside me. She had a sour look on her face, matching her noise filled with contempt and disgust at the sleeping girl. “Go back to class.”

“I didn’t—”

“If you’re that concerned about her, you can talk to her tomorrow. Now? Stop cutting and get to class.”

Shooed from the infirmary, I found myself walking back to class. It seemed like the worst-case scenario was coming to pass. My lack of reaction to Adam’s baiting might have caused him to grow bored and move his attention elsewhere. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to be the case anymore. I saw how he reacted to my threat, how it tickled his noise. My warning had unnerved him, but the guy was a magnet for trouble.

If he simply enjoyed Chloe’s Gift like all her other clients, there would be no problems here. Adam wasn’t like that though. Pleasure and the resulting euphoria weren’t enough. He enjoyed them, but his true joy came from breaking things—or at least damaging them. Now he had his sights on us. I didn’t think Chloe was in actual danger. After all, he needed her for her Gift. That didn’t mean he couldn’t mess with her in other ways.

I ran a hand through my hair as I arrived in front of my next period class. Why did I have to threaten him? If I had just let him say his bit and show that nothing fun would come from messing with us, he would have grown bored and moved on.

All I could think about was protecting Chloe, and how I had absolutely no idea how to do it.