One foot after the other. Trevor walked home on auto-pilot, not registering where he was until he was standing in front of the dojo.

The familiar doorway came upon him, startling him out of his numbness. He realized he was still in his uniform and had to make a show of being confused about where he’d found himself, just in case someone was watching.

Trevor’s mind was still spinning, a trace of that peculiar scent lingering in the back of his nose, a faint haze still clinging to his thoughts. The lump in his pants was a consequence thereof, arousal stirring inside him even as he tried to push the memory of what had just transpired out of his mind.

He stopped just short of the secret door to the dojo’s basement and took a breath. He had to regain his composure before he went inside. The last thing he needed was to add more stress to the situation by walking into the room, looking all flustered.

The door creaked as Trevor entered, bringing a grimace to his face. Derek was there, minding his brothers. “How are they doing?” he asked.

Derek didn’t look up. “They’ve been better,” he said. “I’m using my internal energy to keep them stable right now, but I don’t know how much longer I can be effective.”

Trevor didn’t say anything as Derek moved over to press a damp cloth to Leo’s forehead.

“I almost wish it was Marcus that was late to the party instead. He’s so much better at this,” said Derek.

Trevor walked over and placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “We make do with what we’ve got. No use dwelling on what-ifs. You’ve done great. I’m sure Marcus will be proud.”

Derek scoffed and shook his head. “Wish I didn’t have to keep doing this. I’m running on fumes. Did you get it?”

Trevor reached for the three glass ampoules Chimera had left with him, hesitating as he slipped his hand into one of the suit’s hidden pockets. He took them out, shaking his head to clear out the unbidden images of what had happened with Chimera.

“I did,” he said. “Give yourself a moment to breathe. I’ll take over. You administer the antidote.”

Derek pulled his internal energy away as a soft golden light filled the room—Trevor’s qi flowing into his unconscious sons. “What did it cost?” said Derek, looking at Trevor.

Trevor couldn’t bring himself to meet his eldest’s gaze. He knelt by the bed and placed his hand on top of Tristan’s. “Let’s not talk about that right now,” he said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Derek nod and then hesitate.

“You can talk to me about anything, dad,” said Derek. “That’s what trust means. And if I’m really the one you’re going to leave the dojo to…”

Trevor forced a small, rueful smile. “I know. I just want to see your brothers get better. Doesn’t matter what the price is. I’m willing to pay it just so you boys will be safe.”

Derek gave Trevor a small, sad smile. “I wish you didn’t try to take on everything, dad. We’re a team, not a monarchy.”

Trevor glanced over his shoulder at Derek. “And what kind of father would I be if I let my children shoulder all the burden in my stead?”

He turned his attention back to Tristan. “I just want to give you boys the best shot at success that I can. And sometimes that means having to take a knife or a bullet for you.”

Trevor could feel the look Derek was giving him. “Figure of speech,” he said after a moment. “But I would take a bullet for you guys.”

Derek sighed. “That wasn’t the point, dad. But alright. We’ll talk about it later.”

Trevor glanced at Derek when he was sure his oldest had turned away and wasn’t paying close attention. “Yeah…” he said under his breath as he did his best to keep the flow of internal energy smooth and stable. “We’ll talk about it later.”

---

It was oddly peaceful at the dojo. Trevor was in his study, the only person awake upstairs. The other boys were still sleeping off the effects of whatever toxin Chimera had exposed them to.

Derek was downstairs, heading up the morning class in the dojo. While Trevor was loath to make Derek take up so much work, the two of them had to keep up appearances until the others had recovered.

Sounds from the session drifted up from the dojo below. A normal person wouldn’t hear it, but no one in Trevor’s family was normal.

On any other day, the faint noise might have given Trevor some measure of comfort. Today, it grated on his already-frayed nerves and he was glad he didn’t fight Derek too much over being ‘forced’ to spend his day doing administrative work.

Derek had always been a fairly insightful kid. He’d matured early and never looked back, always wanting to shoulder his share of responsibility at the dojo—within and without.

If it were up to Trevor, he would be the one taking care of things downstairs and suffering through it, but Derek must have noticed he was still out of sorts. Few people in the world could bully Trevor Chan into changing his mind, but as it turned out, his oldest foster son was one of them.

Trevor sighed. In hindsight, it was for the best. His nerves had been raw since last night. While he wanted to think that it was because his boys had had a brush with death, what was really on his mind was what had happened between him and Chimera.

He’d hoped that whatever poison Chimera had dosed him with would be wearing off by now, but it was still taking a considerable amount of willpower to tamp down his horniness. For all his usual discipline and work ethic, he’d been staring at a blank document on his laptop for hours, distracted by the pressing and insistent need between his legs.

Trevor drummed his fingers on the desk. The temptation was difficult to resist. He knew he shouldn’t give in but, at the same time, he knew it would be a problem sooner or later if he didn’t do anything about his massive erection.

If Derek came upstairs with news of an emergency they would need to suit up for, he couldn’t very well just get up with an obvious lump in his pants. He might not have cared were a stranger to walk in on him, but he wanted to maintain the image of being a dignified and respectable father figure for his boys.

Against his better judgment, Trevor got up and walked to the door. He cracked it open—just enough to stick his head through and make sure no one else was about. He also took the opportunity to use his enhanced senses to check on his boys—they were all still asleep, thankfully.

He slipped back into the room and locked the door behind him, making sure to double and triple check that the latch had engaged because the last thing he wanted was for one of his boys to walk in on him beating his meat.

It was ironic. Trevor had brought his boys up while being pretty open about sex. He’d made sure they knew masturbation wasn’t anything shameful, but rather a natural part of being an adult male with a sex drive.

He cracked a little smile. He remembered the boys wanting nothing to do with the conversation. Derek had been the only one to take things seriously—though he’d always been one to hang on to Trevor’s every word.

Maybe it was hypocritical since Trevor had always encouraged his boys to have a healthy relationship with their sexuality, but he didn’t want them to see him in that way. It felt wrong and awkward. And while he was fine being vulnerable to his boys, being caught in a compromising position didn’t seem to him like the healthy kind of vulnerability.

As he sat down at his desk, Trevor realized Derek had a key to the study. He fired off a quick message from his phone.

impt business. dont disturb unless 🔥

It wasn’t exactly a lie, but the dishonesty still made Trevor a bit uncomfortable.

Derek didn’t seem too concerned in his reply, though.

kk. just lock door. will field qs if bros wake up.

A second message came in moments later.

need any help?

Trevor replied one-handedly as he had already slipped one of his hands into his pants. He was gripped by a rare impulse to mischief as he typed out his response.

its k. problem well in hand.

Derek replied promptly.

kk. lemme know if anything changes

Trevor turned his phone over and leaned back, not quite believing what he’d just done. Even if Derek had been oblivious to the second meaning, it felt wrong.

He didn’t know what had come over him. To even vaguely insinuate to his eldest that he was massaging his cock through his briefs was filthy.

And yet he couldn’t deny that the act had sent a perverse thrill through him. It was taboo and that was the very reason it was exciting.

Trevor muffled a moan by biting down on the knuckles of his hand as he squeezed the outline of his cock through his briefs.

The briefs weren’t his usual. They were special. The tightest, most flattering pair he owned. It showed off what he had, and he knew it did because he’d spent a good minute staring at the mirror, admiring the way it made his posterior pop while getting dressed.

It was a bizarre indulgence, but Peter had gotten in his head. He could stand to dress a bit more provocatively, to show off the body he’d worked so hard to get. And he’d be lying if he said he didn’t like it.

The feeling of being desirable, being sexy, it was empowering. It had been so long since he’d had any action or that kind of attention that it felt quite good to dress up—even if it was just for himself.

The briefs were definitely not Trevor’s usual style. They’d been an impulse buy, an indulgence he’d forgotten after trying on once until now. But damn were they comfortable. And the soft cotton felt fantastic along the length of his cock.

The fabric was silky smooth, without even the slightest hint of coarseness. It felt amazing against his cock as he shifted in his seat and rubbed his fingers up and down the sides of his shaft.

Trevor almost wanted to go out and buy another pair or two now that they had come into some money. But he pushed the thought out of his head. It was something to consider later, when he didn’t have a more pressing matter to pay attention to.

He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, moaning softly as he relished the sensation of touching himself. It really had been too long since the last time.

While he knew he had an effective time limit, he didn’t want to just pound one out, either. He didn’t get the opportunity to self-pleasure often enough.

Trevor glanced at the computer and chewed on his lower lip. He didn’t normally watch porn—he’d grown up in the slums and had seen what the industry did to people—but it was right there. It was at his fingertips. All he had to do was take that one little step.

Against his better judgment, he started typing. He went to a fairly mainstream porn site—the first one kids learned about back in his day—and it was filled with mostly vanilla scenes.

His cock twitched as he scrolled through the thumbnails looking for one that would make his cock respond. On the rare occasions he did turn to porn, he usually chose the most respectable looking video, but this time the usual stuff just didn’t do it for him.

And then Trevor saw it out of the corner of his eye—a petite Chinese woman with a stereotypically large black man. And for some reason, he felt a compulsion to watch it.

The video played, and Trevor couldn’t help but moan. It got right into the action, the woman on her hands and knees giggling seductively as the black man knelt behind her to tap his cock on her ass.

The first few seconds were enough to tell it wasn’t going to be the respectable kind of film. But Trevor couldn’t tear his eyes away.

It was a mix of arousal and morbid curiosity. The woman was small. And the black man’s cock was so big it beggared belief.

Like a man possessed, Trevor hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his sweatpants and pushed them halfway down his thighs. His cock sprang free, straining in the air and leaking profusely.

He sucked in a sharp breath as he wrapped his fingers around his shaft, feeling the heat of his engorged arousal filling his palm. He moved his hand up and down, groaning as he watched the man slide his fat cock into the woman’s ass.

Trevor watched for a minute or so, one hand resting on his mouse while he jacked his cock with the other. A surge of pleasure as the man flipped the woman over made him accidentally click off to the side—to one of the recommended videos.

The video swapped over to a clip that was definitely not Trevor’s usual fare. It was gay porn, for one thing.

On screen was an older, more muscular Asian man—probably a Korean. He was probably a few dozen pounds lighter than Trevor was, but still nearly twice the size of his scene partner: a black twink.

Trevor’s cock surged to full hardness—even harder than before, when he’d been watching the woman get railed. His thoughts turned unbidden to what had happened just last night, while Chimera was toying with him, and suddenly he felt as if he was burning up from the inside.

He wanted to click away, hovering the cursor over the exit button, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. His gaze was riveted to the scene.

He watched with bated breath as the twink grabbed the older man by the back of the neck, pulling him in for a sizzling kiss. Despite being half the older man’s size, it was clear he was in command and the sight of it made Trevor’s cock jump.

Trevor couldn’t look away as the Korean slowly lay down on his back and grabbed his legs by the knees, lifting them in the air. His hole twitched as he realized what was about to happen.

His body tensed with anticipation, and his breath caught in his throat. He tried to tell himself he didn’t want to see this, but there was a part of him so spellbound by the scene he couldn’t bring himself to stop looking.

The moans from the older man, not so different from Trevor’s own voice, made his cock throb. And the camera zooming in to show the way that the Asian man’s hole stretched around the twink’s fat cock took him right to the edge.

Trevor stroked himself faster and harder, slowly losing control as he teetered on the edge. He moaned along, watching the twink’s cock slide home and then pump in and out of the bottom’s hole.

He was close. So close that he felt as if the slightest breeze would send him tumbling over the edge. But for some reason, he just couldn’t quite hit that final threshold.

The two men on-screen came hard. The arousal in Trevor’s veins boiled over. He grunted and groaned, hunching over himself as he pounded his hand up and down his length in a desperate effort to reach his own climax. But he just couldn’t seem to make it all the way there.

Trevor grunted in frustration, falling back against the chair. He was about to look for another video in the hopes of bringing himself the rest of the way to completion when his super-sensitive hearing picked up the sound of one of the boys waking up.

---

Trevor pulled up his pants and stuffed his hard-on into his briefs as best as he could. It was more difficult than he would have liked as the briefs were tight, and he was well-endowed enough that there was trouble getting himself to fit inside.

It didn’t help that the briefs were designed with a pouch for his cock and balls. Still, he managed after a minute or so of struggle.

The bulge in his pants was more visible than he would have liked, but at least it wasn’t quite so obscene. He was just hoping that he’d taught his sons to be respectable enough their eyes wouldn’t stray.

Trevor was also wearing one of his tighter shirts, which means he didn’t even have a hem to work with. It left him feeling a bit vulnerable and apprehensive, but he took a deep breath and re-centered himself, pushing down the arousal churning inside him. Supporting his sons as they recovered was the priority right now.

When he stepped out of the study, he immediately spotted Tristan leaning against the wall down at the end of the hallway. “You shouldn’t be up and about,” he said as he walked over.

“I’ve been awake half an hour with a massive headache, dad… Kinda sick of bed right now.”

Trevor slipped Tristan’s arm over his shoulder. “You should at least sit down, then,” he said.

Tristan looked at Trevor and gave him a little, strained smile. “That sounds like a good idea,” he said, looking a little green.

The pair made their way over to the tiny dining room. Leo was already there, rubbing his temples.

“Join the club,” said Leo, motioning to an empty seat next to him.

Trevor helped Tristan into the chair and stood off to the side with his hands on his hips. “The two of you should be in bed.”

Tristan looked over to the side. “Three,” he said.

Trevor looked over his shoulder just in time to see Marcus shuffle into the room.

Before Trevor could say anything, Marcus shrugged. He looked better off than the other two, but he didn’t exactly look well. “I’ve never really been much of a rule-follower, anyway,” said Marcus wryly.

Trevor sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He grabbed the backrest of another chair and said, “Sit, then.”

Marcus dragged himself over. “Thanks, old man. Needed that,” he said as he dropped himself into the seat.

“How are you three feeling?” said Trevor, placing his hand on the backrest of Marcus’s chair.

The boys shared a look, but it was Marcus that spoke first. “Like we’ve been run over by a truck. And not one of those fancy contragrav ones, either.”

Tristan nodded. “Yeah. Sounds about right.”

“Better than feeling like my insides were about to melt, though,” said Leo.

There was a murmur of agreement from the other two.

“I’m just glad you’re all okay,” said Trevor. “Mostly,” he added after a baleful look from Leo.

“I think I can speak for everyone when I say: so are we, dad,” said Tristan.

Leo leaned forward, bracing his elbows against the top of the table as he massaged his temples. “What happened anyway? After we went down?”

Trevor glanced at Marcus, who was looking up at him expectantly. “That’s not something you need to be concerned with right now,” he said.

Tristan didn’t like that. “I woke up at one point, and Derek told me that we’d been poisoned. He said you’d gone over to negotiate with the enemy.”

“Were you just going to keep that a secret from us, dad?” said Leo, his accusatory glare like a bar of iron in Trevor’s chest. “We’re a team. We’re not supposed to hide things from each other.”

“I get where you’re coming from. But we’re also a family. I’m your father. You’re my sons. I didn’t mean to keep a secret—I just want you to focus on your recovery,” said Trevor.

Marcus sighed. “Well, you might as well tell us now that it’s in the open,” he said. “What did the guy want?”

“The guy? Oh. Chimera.” The words spilled from Trevor before he could stop them, and the boys definitely picked up on it. They gave him weird looks, but he just pressed on. “He just wanted to meet,” he said.

The memory of the encounter made his cock twitch. The lump in his sweatpants moved as a result, but he tried his best not to draw any attention to it.

“What about?” said Tristan.

“He wanted us out of the way,” said Trevor. It wasn’t strictly a lie. “The poisoning was a message. I think he wanted to show that he wasn’t someone to fuck with.”

Trevor would have jumped when Leo’s hand slapped the surface of the table had he not seen Leo getting ready to do so out of the corner of his eye.

There was fire in Leo’s eyes. “Bullshit! Did you agree?”

Trevor shook his head. “Of course not. But there wasn’t anything to agree to. Chimera just told me to stay out of his way.”

Tristan spoke with a more level tone than his brother, but his jaw was clenched. “We’re not going to, right? Just because he got the drop on us this time… We’ll be prepared in the future.”

Trevor nodded. “We’re not just going to stand by and do nothing. But none of you are in fighting condition right now. So if you want to help, you’re gonna have to focus on your own recovery first.”

Leo made a face. “Ugh. Fine. I’ll go back to bed,” he said as if it were the worst thing in the world.

“I’ll do the same,” said Tristan. He got up and helped Leo as the pair of them staggered toward a nearby wall for support. “Last thing I want to do is hold the family back,” he said.

Marcus was the only one that stayed behind. He’d been uncharacteristically quiet, watching Trevor with pursed lips the whole time.

“You should probably go, too,” said Trevor.

Marcus shrugged. “Never was one for following orders, dad. Besides. You know I recover faster than the others,” he said.

It was true, Trevor supposed.

Marcus was the one to break the silence that followed. “Why are you lying?”

The question took Trevor by surprise. “I wasn’t lying,” he said.

Marcus quirked an eyebrow. “Not a kid anymore, dad. And I just happen to be the one that knows the human body best of all of us. I can feel your pulse through the chair.”

Trevor felt warmth in his cheeks. He tried to come up with some sort of plausible excuse but couldn’t figure one out. “It’s not… something that I want to talk about,” he said after a moment.

Marcus got up from the chair and wiped his hands down the front of his shirt. He pointedly glanced down and said, “I’m going to guess it has something to do with that.”

Trevor turned scarlet and averted his gaze. “It’s not what you think,” he said.

Marcus smirked. “I’m pretty sure it’s exactly what I think,” he said. “I saw Chimera dose you with something. It was an aphrodisiac, wasn’t it? Kind of tracks with the twisted kinds of people that make it into those positions of power.”

Trevor didn’t know how to respond.

“Well, it’s not like I’m going to blab, dad. I get it. But you don’t have to hide these sorts of things from us. From me, at least.” Marcus patted Trevor on the upper arm. “You were the one that told us sex wasn’t anything to be ashamed of.”

Trevor sputtered. Yes, he’d said those words, but he’d never expected they would be used against him.

“Just looking at it objectively, dad,” said Marcus. “You’re our leader. And if we’re gonna be functioning well, you’re gonna need to get a handle on what’s going on with you.”

Marcus looked at Trevor. “Probably doesn’t help that you haven’t been with anyone in years, huh? You’ve gotta be pent up.”

“Marcus!” Trevor could scarcely believe what he was hearing.

“What? Just stating facts, dad,” said Marcus with a little grin. “Anyway. If you ever want to just rub one out to help manage whatever’s going on, just tell me and I’ll cover for you.”

Trevor turned even redder. Talking about sex as a concept with his sons was fine. Talking about doing something sexual and having one of his sons cover for him while he did it was a line he didn’t think he had.

“I’m not having this conversation right now,” said Trevor, the tips of his ears burning with embarrassment. “Go get back into bed. I’ve got some… work to take care of.”

Marcus just smirked. “I bet it’s a bunch of hard work waiting for you, dad,” he said with that familiar impish gleam in his eyes. “But hey, if you reconsider my offer, just text me the word ‘Meringue’ and I’ll run interference for you.”

As Trevor struggled to find the words to respond, Marcus squeezed his upper arm and shuffled off.

Marcus stopped for a moment some ways down the hall and looked over his shoulder while holding on to the wall for support. “Because, you know, you have to beat it?”

Trevor groaned. His cock, the treacherous thing, twitched at the suggestive little smirk that Marcus threw his way.

“This conversation is over,” said Trevor in no uncertain terms. “And I’m gonna try to forget we ever had it in the first place.”