One thought had dominated Casper's mind as he watched Jack’s friends crawl in through his tenth-story window: Someone really needed to start a support group for when your boyfriend came back to life after a three-year apocalypse when all you'd done was get a shit night's sleep.

A week ago, his life was actually normal. Now his boyfriend was making eyes at a girl who could walk through walls, and the guy, Levi, looked like he wanted Casper to suck his dick wearing a gimp suit. Wouldn't be so bad if they hadn't invited themselves to sleep on his couch and smoke all his fucking weed.

There really wasn't a community for it, was there?

The thought still stuck while Jack led him across some posh-ass foyer that flinched at the touch of his five-pound charity shoes. The scruffy pair of them cowered amongst the splendour like a pair of roaches. They'd come to meet another 'friend' from the apocalypse, and Casper's expectations were at rock-bottom low.

It was one of those rich buildings where the doorman smiled through his teeth if you didn't wear Prada and the foyer was an echoing expanse of marble and abstract art. Levi and Ella swanned ahead, Jack’s new-old friends who'd invaded Casper's life a week ago and not really grown on him since.

He’d finally flipped out on Jack after he got up for his morning coffee and found Levi and Ella screwing on the couch. Jack had just burst into laughter and asked if Casper wanted to join in.

It'd been a no. Obviously. Levi made Casper want to crawl out of his skin.

But so long as you didn't look too close at his eyes, no one could deny he looked good. Casper skulked in the grandeur, but Levi strutted with peacock feathers sprouting from his goddamn ass. Fucking tryhard, and Jack had laughed when Casper muttered it to him. Didn't change the fact that Jack hadn't taken his eyes off Levi's leather-clad ass and the flash of golden brown skin beneath the hem of his fur coat.

Somehow it was even more infuriating that Ella didn't even try. Just the way she moved made her a goddamn diamond. Her eyes and milky smile shone bright as she skipped backward ahead of Levi, short black hair dancing around her face.

"So who's this guy we're meeting again?" Casper asked on the way up. "And what've you done with my Jack who'd never go near some posh asshole like this?"

A scowl tightened Jack's brow. "Fuckin' trust, Cas, I don't wanna be anywhere near this prick." He kicked his boot against a glistening stair runner. "Didn't like the stuck up asshole when we first met him, and I sure as fuck"—another kick, and if someone got two kicks and that scowl out of Jack, then he really didn't like them—"don't like him now this lot've told me he turned out to be the king of the goddamn fucking apocalypse."

Casper choked, because he'd heard about the apocalypse and the guy who'd caused it, but apparently no one had bothered to tell him King Cult was part of the 'crew'.

"You mean we're meeting a literal supervillain?"

"Sure."

"Does he have one of those twiddly moustaches?"

"Nah, stupid prick's like—shit, I dunno. Probably does some modelling shit, asshole. Do me a favour and stay away from him, Cas?"

"But you're—"

Some raucous noise burst in the stairwell above them, another voice somewhere between the not-siblings in pitch. The thunder in Jack's face burst into his old sunshine grin. "Awh, I know that fuckin' voice."

Casper grabbed for his arm. "Jack—"

He shook it free and put his hands to his mouth. "Hey, Bunny!"

A moment of silence in the cacophony, but Casper only managed to get Jack's name out before his rasping voice got swallowed again. Then apparently asshole boyfriend literally didn't give a single fuck when Casper talked anymore because he went bounding off up the stairs. Casper groaned and rubbed his hands over his face as he followed him.

Bunny didn't really look anything like the rabbit or playboy vibe Casper had expected, but she did talk at like a gazillion decibels and deafen Casper in one ear. She had skin as dark as the tight coils of her hair and dressed like she’d been trained to kick your skull in. The rakish tilt to her grin was a lot like Jack’s and Casper almost liked her.

“Man, Jack talked like you was miles cuter. Hey, Jack—you didn’t say your boyfriend’s such a ghoul.”

Almost.

Jack grabbed Casper around the waist – and that grin looked miles better on him – and kissed Casper’s head. His breath smelt of whiskey and cigarettes, and it almost chased out the sterile carpet cleaner lingering in the stairwell. “Sure, but he’s like a scary ball of sunshine. Ain’t you, baby?”

Casper gave Jack a shove, scowling. “No, I’m not. Look, Jack—”

“Guys!” Ella bounced on the lowest stair, her hair a soft cloud around misty-pale skin. “Come on, he says he’s got business soon. Hurry up!”

The hammering feet and laughter drowned Casper’s rasp as they took off up the stairs. Like seriously, did he exist? Casper hurried after them, raising his voice to shout after Jack at the next landing.

"Jack, how am I meant to stay away from him when you're taking me to fucking meet him?"

Someone answered him. Not Jack, but Levi’s laxly lascivious drawl.