Before Leo left for school, he checked his mailbox to see if Niko had sent his gift. When he didn’t see anything, he wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t disappointed. He would have loved to quickly put on Niko’s gift and walk around the school with the earrings on. 

But he knew Niko couldn’t send them that quickly. They would probably arrive at noon or in the afternoon. Leo could wait, even though his body radiated with excitement. He pulled out his phone and messaged Niko. 

[Masks: Let me know when the gift is delivered] 

He pocketed his phone, knowing that Niko was likely still asleep. 

When he arrived at school, he met Ruben and Jo but did not see Cecil. Did I piss him off that bad? Leo thought. “Where is Cecil?” He asked after greeting them. 

“His heat starts in two days, so he took the next days off,” Ruben replied, scrolling through his phone. 

“Sometimes I forget about stuff like that,” Leo commented. Since his rut has never done anything for him, he tends to push stuff like that to the back of his mind. Even though someone went into heat last time in class, he still forgot that it is a normal thing that happens every 2–3 months. 

“Shouldn’t I be the one to forget more?” Jo joked because she is a beta and doesn’t have to deal with heats or ruts. 

“We can all forget.” Ruben compromised, causing Leo and Jo to shrug. 

“Over the weekend, should we go shopping?” Leo asked as they started walking to the classroom. 

“We can, but I think it should just be you, me, and Summer. Cecil will probably still be out, Nathaniel and Noah are no help, and sorry to say, Jo, you will only pick out food.” 

“No hard feelings.” Jo shrugged; she already knew how she was. 

“That is fine. Is Summer free this weekend?” 

“Yeah, I already talked to her about it.” 

“And this is why you are the backbone of the group.” Leo laughed. Well, Ruben is like the mother hen of the group, and their friends sometimes jokily call him mom. 

“Someone has to ensure all of you get things done and act like adults.” 

“Oh my god, Mom, it is too early for lectures.” Jo shoved Ruben. Ruben barely moved from the hit. “Any time is early for you.” 

Leo could only laugh as they entered the classroom and took their seats. When class started, Leo thought about paying attention and writing notes for Cecil. He wasn’t trying to indulge or apologize for keeping things to himself, but more so because Cecil would always write notes for him. So, he decided to give back and do the same. Usually, Ruben would make notes for Cecil when he is out, but Leo wanted to try. 

When class ended, he realized that he should never try again. They were sitting at a café near the school, and Leo hung out with them before Ruben and Jo’s next class, as Jo laughed while looking through his notes. “Haha, you call these notes? Leo, you should always type and never write again.” 

Leo tore off a small piece of his banana nut muffin, throwing it at Jo, “Fuck you. I tried, okay.” 

Ruben set his coffee down, grabbing the notes from Jo as he looked through them. The notes started well, but as time went on, Leo began to doodle while trying to summarize words. The summaries were nonsense and barely formed sentences. “Leo, start bringing your laptop to school.” 

Leo started pouting, grabbing his notes back. He felt like pulling out his phone to text Niko about getting bullied. “Don’t I get points for trying?” 

Jo laughed in response, causing Leo to flick her off while Ruben patted his head, looking like a tired mom with a troubled child. He is not a troubled child, okay. “All of you are terrible.” 

Leo finally pulled out his phone to complain, only to see that Niko had already messaged first. He must have accidentally put his phone on silent, because he did not feel it vibrate. 

[Mad Dog: It will be at your place in the afternoon. When it comes, remember to take the picture for me.] 

[Masks: Awesome, and I won’t forget.] 

He secretly took pictures of his notes while Ruben and Jo weren't looking and sent them to Niko. 

[Masks: Are my notes terrible? My friends are making fun of them; I am getting bullied.] 

[Mad Dog: Oh, baby, you are so cute.] 

[Masks: So they are that bad?] 

[Mad Dog: As long as they are suitable for you, they are perfect.] 

[Masks: I was making them for Cecil. So, what I am hearing is that they are unusable?] 

Leo was used to being honest with Niko, but after sending the message, he regretted it. Yesterday, Niko said he felt jealous of his relationship with Cecil (which Leo still couldn’t understand since he only thought about Cecil as a friend). Now he's sent a message saying he's doing something for Cecil. 

He saw Niko typing on the other end, gnawing at his lower lip with worry. He wondered if he could take back his message, even though Niko had already seen it. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Ruben asked, seeing that Leo looked worried. 

Leo shook his head, “Nothing.” He continued to stare at his phone, waiting for Niko’s message. 

Ruben didn’t believe him, but he knew not to push with Leo. 

[Mad Dog: Your other friends are in the same class, right? They can share theirs. Instead, let me have your notes.] 

[Masks: Wouldn’t it be unless to you?] 

[Mad Dog: Anything that came from you is not unless.] 

Leo blushed, happy that he was wearing a mask because he didn’t want his friends to notice. But, he also hoped that his ears weren’t red. Niko is going to be the death of him. 

[Masks: I can send them to you.] 

[Mad Dog: Good boy.] 

Leo bit the inside of his cheek, trying to remain calm. He sank his nails into his thigh, ensuring he didn’t show how affected he was on the outside. 

“Jo and I still have an hour before our next class, do you want to go to the park with us? Jo has been wanting to try the new swings they put up.” Ruben asked Leo

“How old are you?” Leo teased Jo. 

Jo stuck out her tongue, “You are just jealous.” 

Leo rolled his eyes, but agreed. They left the café after paying the bill and walked to the park near the school. 

[Masks: I will text you when I get home. Since my friends still have time before class, I am going to hang out with them for a while.] 

[Mad Dog: Okay, baby. When you get home, the box should be there.] 

[Masks: Okay. Talk to you soon.] 

Leo felt excited again when he thought about Niko’s gift being there. He touches his bare ears, ready to wear Niko’s gift. 

“Let’s see who can go higher on the swing without help.” Jo challenged Leo.

“You’re on.” 

When Leo finally returned home, he swiftly went to his mailbox, seeing Niko’s gift inside. He grabbed the package, almost sprinting to his door and inside his place. Once he was inside, he took off his shoes and ran to the bathroom. 

He opened the package, pulling the box out. Then, he opened the box, marveling at how beautiful the earrings were once he saw them. 

They were asymmetrical earrings. The left earring was a triangular-shaped red diamond stud, while the right one was the same except that a chain was attached to it, and at the end was another stud, shaped like a small N that goes on the helix. Leo used to have a helix piercing, but took it off two years back. 

His hand rubbed the N-shaped stud, feeling warm (and a little turned on). 

He grabbed the alcohol, cleaning the earrings and his ears before putting them on. The holes in his ears were still open, so it wasn’t hard to stick the needle part in. 

Once he had the earrings in, he looked in the mirror, blushing hard. He rubbed the earrings again, biting his lip. The claim Niko put on him through the earrings made him feel high. 

He could feel his bulge growing, wanting to touch himself, but stopped as he grabbed his phone and video-called Niko instead of sending a picture. He could take a picture later on and send it, but for now, he wanted to see Niko’s reaction. 

Niko answered, showing that he was sitting on his couch, “Hey.” 

Leo swallowed, never getting over how beautiful Niko was. Looking at his pictures and talking over FaceTime were very different. But he knew, once he saw Niko in person, he might end up dying. 

He leaned his phone on a sturdy bottle on the sink counter, positioning it so it showed his whole face and ears. He moved left and right, showing off the earrings in his ears. “How does it look?” 

Leo heard Niko breathing without answering. He glanced at him, seeing how Niko looked at him with dark eyes. Something jolted within him from the look as he gripped his thighs, wanting to touch himself. “Niko?” He almost whined. 

“Baby,” Niko drew out; his voice sounded deep and slightly dangerous. “I really want to ruin you.” 

“H-How?” Leo swallowed, barely finishing his sentence, and tried again. “How would you ruin me?” 

Niko darkly chuckled, his fingers tapping along the couch as his eyes greedily drank in Leo’s appearance. The flushed, begging face, with his earrings on, made Niko want to lock him away and throw away the key. Only I can see him like this. He thought. “Baby, are you so eager for me? Do you want to touch yourself for me? Did wearing my mark turn you on?” 

“Yes. Please, sir.” Leo begged. He wouldn’t touch himself unless Niko told him he could. Niko never told him to do this, but Leo unconsciously gave control to Niko. 

Fuck. Niko thought. What have I done to get someone made for me? “Are you asking for my permission?” 

“Yes,” Leo whined this time. He squatted, his face close to the camera as his pants felt way too tight. Leo wanted to relieve the throbbing pain, but he wanted Niko to tell him what to do. 

“Do you know how good you are, baby? Move back and lean on the wall. I want to see you touch yourself.” 

Leo didn’t need to be told twice as he followed Niko’s instruction. When he saw the camera fully capture him, Leo unzipped his pants and dragged them down. His underwear was on display, showing his hard bulge with a wet spot already forming. He grabbed himself through his underwear, rubbing softly. Leo groaned, wanting to lean his head back with closed eyes, but he kept his head toward the camera, watching Niko. “What do you want me to do?” Leo asked. 

Niko’s fingers played with his shirt, trying to stop himself from giving in to his own pleasure. He wanted to pay attention to Leo and give him what he needed. He can take care of his needs later. 

“Underwear, take them off, baby.” 

Leo held back his swallow, feeling a little nervous but also something else; this would be the first time Niko would see this part of him. They have phone sex and even sent pictures, but the images were never revealing, and the phone sex was only a call. 

He slowly pulled down his underwear, setting himself free as he was nervously ready to give Niko a show. 

Leo was far too gone to stop.