Only Four Hours (Yang Catches the Last Bullhead Home That Night)

A sudden buzz shattered the silence of the dorm room. Blake's scroll started ringing, slicing through the haze that had fallen over her mind like a blade. Blake flinched, her heart slamming into her chest. She fumbled for the device, her trembling fingers registering Lux’s name on the screen. Irritation flared, sharp and hot, as she answered, her voice edged with a snarl. “What is it, Lux?”

“Hey, Blake,” Lux replied, his tone smooth and infuriatingly casual. “Shopping trip’s over. I’m on my way back. You, uh, presentable?”

Blake’s brow creased, confusion tangling with the embers of her arousal. “What are you talking about? You just left a few minutes ago.”

Lux chuckled, the sound light and teasing. “Blake, it’s been five hours.”

Her eyes widened, and she twisted toward the window. Night pressed against the glass, a deep indigo sky studded with stars. The air caught in her throat, a cold knot tightening in her gut. “That’s… impossible,” she whispered, more to herself than to him.

“Check the time,” Lux suggested, his voice still carrying that maddening amusement.

She glanced at her scroll. The clock glared back, confirming the impossible: five hours had vanished. Her mouth went dry, her mind scrambling for an anchor. “How…?”

“Must be that app,” Lux said, his tone dipping into a playful taunt. “So good you lost track of time, huh?”

Blake’s thoughts churned. Maybe he was right. Scrolls were everywhere now—paperback novels were relics, fading into obscurity. Maybe there was a reason everyone was switching over. Maybe reading digitally really was that much more immersive. Still, the ease with which time had slipped away gnawed at her, a quiet unease she couldn’t shake. “I guess so,” she muttered, forcing her voice to steady.

“You okay?” Lux asked, a hint of concern threading through his words.

“I’m fine,” she snapped, sharper than she meant. “Just… caught off guard.”

“Alright, well, I’ll be back in fifteen minutes. Make sure you’re decent.”

Her cheeks flushed, and she glanced down at herself—skirt rucked up, fingers sticky with her own heat. “I didn’t do anything that needs cleaning up,” she lied, defiance hardening her tone.

Lux laughed, warm and disarming. “Good to hear. See you soon.”

The call cut off, and Blake exhaled, the breath trembling in her chest. She swiped her fingers clean with a tissue, her movements frantic as she tugged her skirt back into place and smoothed her hair. The clock's glow taunted her from the scroll, but she pushed it aside. Next time, she’d use the app with someone else around—someone to keep her grounded, to stop her from losing herself so completely.

She was considering her options for a reading companion when she heard footsteps echo outside. Less than a minute after Blake finished cleaning up, the door swung open and Yang strode in, golden hair catching the dim light, a grin splitting her face.

“Hey, Blake! What’s up?”

Blake **** a smile, her pulse still thudding in her ears. “Just reading.”

Yang’s lilac eyes flicked to the scroll, then back to Blake, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Must be a hell of a book. You’re looking a little flushed.”

“It’s warm in here,” Blake shot back, shrugging off the heat creeping up her neck.

Yang chuckled, flopping onto her bed with a carefree sprawl. Blake let out a silent breath, relief washing over her. Thirteen minutes since Lux’s call—Yang had beaten him back. If he hadn’t phoned, Yang might’ve walked in on her, skirt down and guard shattered. Irritation at the interruption lingered, but beneath it, a grudging gratitude toward Lux flickered. By complete accident, he had saved her from a tremendous amount of embarrassment.

She glanced at the scroll, still thinking of Lux. Maybe he would be a good reading companion.

Yang’s return was a disruption I hadn’t accounted for. I’d resigned myself to her whoring herself out in Vale all night and planned accordingly. Her absence would’ve given me free rein to push Blake past several hypnotic threshold. Instead, Yang had stumbled back early, evidently have gotten all her sugar daddies off in record time, and I’d only managed to drag Blake to depth level nine. Nine. Just shy of the tipping point of eleven, where I could have begun ordering Blake around outside of the app.

I had been watching on the map as Yang's yellow icon drew closer to the dorm, hoping something—a lost shoe, a drunken detour—would delay her long enough for Blake to cross the line past the eleventh level. It was only when it was abundantly clear that wouldn't be happening that I called Blake and broke her trance.

I did my best to bury my irritation behind a mask of easy charm as I entered the dorm. Blake sat stiffly on her bed, cross-legged, scroll clutched like a lifeline, her posture tense. Yang, predictably, was oblivious to Blake's tension, She was sprawled across her own bed, golden hair spilling over the pillow like a cascade of sunlight, her athletic frame relaxed as she mindlessly swiped through social media. When I entered, they both looked up.

“Hey, Lux! How was your day?” Yang chirped, her voice a bright, grating clang against my nerves.

“Productive enough,” I said, keeping my tone smooth, unruffled. “And yours? Any wild adventures in Vale?”

Her grin stretched wide, all teeth and shameless glee. “Oh, you know me. Just exploring, flirting with some cute guys, maybe breaking a few hearts.” She winked, her laugh bouncing off the walls like a taunt.

Slut. She didn’t even try to hide it, flaunting her escapades with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. It took every ounce of restraint not to sneer, to let my disgust bleed through. Instead, I pivoted to Blake, my voice softening just enough to draw her in. “How about you, Blake? Enjoy your reading?”

She nodded, her amber eyes skittering away from mine—guilty, guarded, perfect. “Yes, it was… quite engaging. Thanks for the app.”

I flashed her a smile, warm and calculated, the kind that slips past defenses. “Anytime. Glad it’s working out for you.” I paused, letting the moment hang, my gaze drifting between them as if weighing something unspoken. "You know," I said eventually, "I've been thinking. We've been on the same team for a full week already, but it doesn't feel like we've really talked."

"We're talking right now, aren't we?" Yang shot back, her legs shifting on the bed in a way that made her curves strain against her top.

Not really, I wanted to say. If we had, you would have had my app downloaded by now. You definitely wouldn't be spreading your thighs for every leering bastard in Vale.

Obviously, I don't say any of that. Instead, I say, "Sure, but take this weekend as an example. Weiss bolted off to her company meetings alone. You and I both hit Vale, but we went our separate ways—me shopping, you... doing whatever you do. And Blake stayed here, reading her books."

"And what's wrong with that?" Blake interjected defensively.

"You're angling for some team bonding," Yang said, propping herself up on her elbows. "Honestly, we've got four years at Beacon. It'll happen in its own time. No need to **** it."

I tilted my head, feigning thoughtfulness. "So, you two already have plans locked in for tomorrow, then? No room for a little group activity?"

Yang laughed, pounding her fists together, her muscles flexing under her skin. Fighting and fucking were the only things the simple-minded bimbo exceled at. "Me? I'm hitting the training grounds hard. Gotta keep these skills razor-sharp, you know?" She flexed again, her chest heaving with the motion, drawing my eye to the swell of her breasts.

Blake's gaze flicked to me, her amber eyes holding a flicker of vulnerability beneath the stoicism. "I was planning to read a bit more. You're welcome to join me," she said, her tone carefully noncommittal, as if she couldn't care less. But the way her fingers traced the edge of her scroll, the subtle parting of her lips, told me otherwise. She cared. She wanted me to join her.

"I'd like that," I replied to Blake, letting my voice drop low, laced with just a hint of Alluring Whisper to make it linger in her ears like a caress. Her cheeks flushed faintly, and satisfaction coiled in my gut. Turning to Yang, I added, "And you—maybe I could swing by while you're training. Spot you or something."

She shrugged, her shoulders rolling in a fluid motion that made her boobs bounce enticingly. "Sure, why not? We could even spar if you're feeling brave. I'll be at the fitness center around eleven—don't be late, or I'll start without you."

I nodded, masking the surge of anticipation as I imagined her sweat-slicked body. But for now, the pieces were falling into place: Blake inviting me closer, Yang opening the door just wide enough for me to slip in. Tomorrow, I'd accelerate Blake's descent, and perhaps find a way to hook Yang at last. The dorm fell into a companionable quiet, but beneath it, my mind raced as I put together a plan.