Yu cleared his throat, loud enough to puncture the silence, and forced his lips into something between a smile and a grimace.
"Well—anyway…"
He muttered, eyes darting anywhere but at theirs.
"I've got…homework to finish. Big projects. Can't waste time standing here while you two just—"
He broke off, feeling their stares burning against his back as he tried to edge toward the staircase. His heart skipped, heat buzzing at the nape of his neck. If he could just slip into his room, close the door, bury himself under the excuse of sketches and notes—
"Yu."
His name, low and rough, froze him. Adrian's voice.
Before he could spin out another excuse, Adrian was already moving—slower than his usual grace thanks to the soreness still lacing his body, but determined nonetheless. He rose from the couch, each shift deliberate, his dark brown eyes locked on Yu like a predator that had already chosen its prey.
Yu's hand twitched on the cracker packet still clutched between his fingers.
"Adrian—"
"You don't get to walk away looking like that."
Adrian's voice was steady now, though the faint flush on his cheeks betrayed the storm beneath. He closed the distance, step by step, until Yu had nowhere to backpedal but the wall.
Callen barked out a laugh, sharp and amused from the couch.
"Tch, move too fast and you'll fall on your face, old man. Don't forget you're still sore."
But his grin was brittle, too wide, too hungry—like he hated watching Adrian claim what he wanted but couldn't stop him either.
Yu pressed his back to the wall, pulse fluttering, hazel eyes flickering between the two men. His excuse of homework crumbled on his tongue, leaving him breathless in the heat of their combined gazes.
Adrian leaned in, bracing one palm against the wall near Yu's head, his voice dropping low enough only Yu could hear.
"Stay. Just for a moment."
Yu's back pressed into the cool wall, shoulders tense as Adrian leaned in. Not close enough to touch, but close enough that Yu could feel the weight of his body radiating, the faint scent of clean soap and cologne clinging to him.
Adrian's palm flattened against the wall just beside Yu's head, his body language tight but purposeful, testing. His voice rumbled low, measured, almost careful—like he was reining something wild in.
"Tell me to stop, and I will…"
Adrian murmured, eyes scanning Yu's painted face, the half-bun that framed it, the curve of his flushed lips.
"But don't—don't think you can walk around looking like that and not expect me to want you."
Yu swallowed hard, a dozen instincts tugging him in different directions. His Incubus hunger hummed, urging him closer, while his rational mind screamed that this was already too much, too dangerous.
Before he could form words, another presence cut in—loud, brash, full of heat.
"Pathetic."
Callen drawled, pushing up from the couch with more force than his sore muscles should allow. He winced, but masked it under a cocky grin.
"You corner him like you're about to beg. If Yu's looking like that, then I'll just take him instead."
"Callen—"
Yu started, but Callen ignored him.
He closed the gap in three strides, deliberately crowding against Yu's other side, his hand coming up to brush along Yu's jawline, thumb grazing the flushed skin there before leaning in for a kiss. Callen's grin turned sharp.
"See? No hesitation."
Adrian's eyes snapped to that touch, a flicker of heat and warning sparking there. His arm shifted subtly, like he might block Callen's hand if it dared move lower.
Now Yu stood caged between them, two tall shadows pressing in from either side. Adrian's restraint, simmering but taut like a bowstring, versus Callen's reckless push, fingers tracing boldly as if testing how much Yu would let him get away with.
Yu's pulse thudded. DK01's voice ticked faintly in the back of his skull.
[Warning! The tension's threshold is rising by the second. One wrong move now could throw everything completely off balance. I recommend no longer enticing other males into your obit for the time being. At least until you speak with Theo about this. For now, get the situation under control, Yu.]
Yu lifted his hands, palms braced against both their chests, trying to push the air back into his lungs.
"S-stop—"
He stammered, aiming for firm, but it came out breathy and wavering.
"This—this isn't—"
Adrian didn't give him the chance to finish. In a sudden, hungry dive, his mouth crashed onto Yu's, swallowing the rest of the words. Yu's lip gloss smeared between them, slick and sweet, and a surprised gasp slipped free of Yu's throat, chased immediately by a helpless moan that only encouraged Adrian to kiss him deeper.
On the other side, Callen growled low in his chest. He refused to be outdone. His lips clamped against Yu's neck, tongue dragging slow and possessive as he suckled hard enough to bring color back to the fading marks. Yu shivered as heat pulsed under his skin.
"Ah—Y-your marks were just starting to fade—"
Yu managed between kisses, the protest sounding more like a whimper than defiance. His body betrayed him, pliant and melting, his hands curling into Adrian's shirt while his head tilted back, offering Callen more of his throat.
Callen smirked against the skin, dragging his hand boldly downward. Over the curve of Yu's chest, across his stomach—he paused. His brow furrowed as his palm cupped the faint swell. It was subtle, but noticeable now.
"…Hmm? You're getting plumper."
Callen muttered, amused.
"You're not secretly sneaking food in when I'm not around, right? I thought sharing was caring, Yu, babe."
The words speared straight through Yu's haze. His body went rigid, the warm flush draining to cold embarrassment. His hormones surged, fragile and sharp, twisting lust into panic.
"R-rude!"
Yu snapped, slippered foot stomping down hard on Callen's bare one. Callen yelped, staggering back with a hiss of pain.
Adrian reached for Yu again, confusion flashing in his eyes, but Yu shoved against his chest, tears pricking and spilling hot down his cheeks.
"Both of you—just—!"
His voice cracked. He didn't finish. Instead, he wrenched free from their caging bodies and bolted, his slippers scuffing against the floor as he darted, up the stairs and down the hall.
The slam of his bedroom door echoed like a gunshot, leaving Callen hobbling and swearing under his breath, Adrian standing motionless, lip gloss smeared across his mouth and the phantom of Yu's warmth fading from his hands.
The silence left behind was heavy—like the air itself had been cut open.
The slam of Yu's door still vibrated in the silence. Callen's face twisted between pain from his stomped foot and confusion from Yu's tears. He shifted his weight awkwardly, bare toes curling against the floor.
"...What the hell was that?"
He muttered, half to himself.
Adrian's hand swung out in a sharp smack to the back of Callen's head. Callen yelped, stumbling forward a step.
"You idiot!"
Adrian hissed, voice low and cutting. His jaw ticked with frustration, dark eyes narrowing.
"You don't grab someone's stomach and say that."
Callen rubbed the back of his head, sulking.
"I just thought it was cute. Didn't mean anything by it…"
His gaze dropped toward the floor, where his bulge strained and twitched against his sweatpants, throbbing with frustrated protest.
"Damn it."
Adrian, face still taut, shuffled stiffly toward his room, every movement marked by sore muscles and a bulge of his own pressing sharply against the front of his trousers. His expression softened only slightly as he cast a final glance toward Yu's closed door.
"I'll…take care of this first…"
He muttered under his breath, disappearing into his room.
Callen dropped back onto the couch with a groan, tugging a cushion into his lap to hide his arousal, sulking like a kicked puppy.
Leaning back against the worn cushions of the living room couch, his heart pounded with a mix of frustration and deep regret. The taste of Yu's skin still lingered on his lips, the faint salty tang from the fresh hickey he'd sucked into the soft curve of Yu's neck.
They'd been so close—him, Adrian, and Yu tangled again in a heated mess on the floor, clothes half-torn off, breaths mingling in the dim light. Callen had been grinding against Yu's thigh, his cock throbbing hard in his sweatpants, ready to push things further into the threesome they'd all been craving.
…But then—of course he had to ruin things—he'd murmured something stupid—calling Yu "plump" like it was a compliment, his mind foggy with desire. He'd truly meant it as a joke, he wouldn't have minded if Yu really had put in some weight.
But Yu hadn't taken it like that. Callen replayed everything, from the moment Yu's hazel eyes had widened, to when tears started spilling over as he shoved them away then bolted to his room, slamming the door behind him. His heart twisted while his cock ached.
"Fuck."
Callen muttered to himself, raking a hand through his disheveled blond hair. His erection strained painfully against his sweats, the arousal from moments ago refusing to fade. No Yu to sink into, no Adrian to share the release with—just him, alone in the empty living room, the echo of Yu's sobs haunting him.
He regretted it instantly, wished he could take back those words, but the damage was done. With a resigned sigh, he shoves his pants lower, freeing his cock. It sprang out, long and veined, the head already slick with pre-cum, flushed red from the teasing buildup.
He wrapped his hand around the shaft, giving it a slow, firm stroke from base to tip, imagining it was Yu's smaller, tentative fingers instead. In his mind, he replayed what could have been:
Pushing Yu down onto the couch, spreading those soft thighs wide, and sliding his cock deep into Yu's tight hole while Adrian watched, maybe joining in by feeding his own dick into Yu's mouth.
Callen's breath hitched as he pumped faster, thumb circling the sensitive slit, smearing the leaking fluid down his length. He pictured Yu's whimpers turning to moans, his body arching up to meet Callen's thrusts, that plump ass—god, he hadn't meant it as an insult, it was perfect, bouncy and full under his palms.
Regret twisted in his gut, making each stroke feel bittersweet, but the fantasy drove him on. He squeezed harder, hips bucking into his fist, envisioning burying himself balls-deep in Yu, Adrian's hands on Yu's hips holding him steady for Callen's rougher pace. The regret fueled the intensity—why had he ruined it? His balls tightened, the pressure building as he jerked erratically, chasing the release.
With a low groan, he came hard, ropes of hot cum spilling over his knuckles and onto his shirt, his mind filled with the ghost of Yu's body clenching around him. Panting, he sat there in the mess, regret settling heavier now that the haze had cleared.
Meanwhile, Adrian stormed into his bedroom, slamming the door with more force than necessary, his blood boiling not just from arousal but from sheer annoyance at Callen. They'd had Yu right there, pliant and eager between them—Adrian's lips locked on Yu's in a deep, possessive kiss, his hands roaming over that smooth chest while Callen marked Yu's neck with that damn hickey. The air had been thick with promise, their cocks all straining, on the verge of another mind-blowing threesome.
But no, Callen had to open his idiot mouth and call Yu "plump," sending their sweet boy into tears and fleeing back to his room. Adrian cursed under his breath, pacing for a moment before the insistent ache in his groin demanded attention. He couldn't go comfort Yu like this, hard as a rock and leaking in his boxers—better to take care of it quick, then check on him.
"Fucking Callen, always screwing shit up!"
Adrian grumbled, stripping off his shirt and shoving down his pants. His cock bobbed free, thick and curved slightly, the tip glistening with pre-cum from the interrupted makeout. He eased himself onto his bed—muscles still aching but the pain was dull now—leaning back against the headboard, and gripped himself tightly, starting with rough, annoyed tugs that matched his mood.
Annoyance sharpened the edge of his lust—he imagined what they'd lost:
Him flipping Yu onto all fours, sliding into that warm, welcoming mouth while Callen took Yu from behind, their rhythms syncing in a filthy harmony. But Callen had blown it, so now Adrian stroked himself faster, hand slicking up and down his cock, twisting at the head to mimic the swirl of Yu's tongue. He pictured Yu's tear-streaked face from earlier, but in his fantasy, those tears turned to ones of pleasure as Adrian fucked his throat gently, whispering apologies for Callen's stupidity while thrusting deeper.
His free hand wandered down, cupping his balls and rolling them as he pumped harder, the annoyance at Callen morphing into a possessive drive—next time, he'd make sure Callen kept his mouth shut, or maybe Adrian would just take Yu for himself.
The thought sent a spike of heat through him; he sped up, hips lifting off the bed, fucking into his fist with urgent snaps. Imagining Yu's muffled moans around his cock, Adrian's abs tensed, the coil in his belly snapping as he came with a gritted-out curse, cum shooting across his stomach in thick spurts. He milked himself through it, breathing ragged, the release clearing his head enough to focus.
Wiping off with a tissue, he washed himself and pulled on fresh clothes, annoyance lingering but softened.
Time to go make sure Yu was okay—unlike Callen, Adrian wouldn't let this ruin everything.
---
On the other side of the slammed door, Yu leaned against the wood, knees buckling as he slid down to the floor. His chest heaved, breaths short and ragged, tears hot and endless down his cheeks. His hands trembled as he clutched his shirt over his belly—his still-small bump—his heart aching with guilt and anger and fear all twisted together.
'Why couldn't I just—why did I—'
His thoughts tangled, looping back to Callen's careless words, Adrian's lips, their hands everywhere. His body still ached with want, his instincts screaming to give in, but his heart…his heart stung too badly.
The lilac glow of DK01 flickered into existence in front of him. Its voice, for once, softened.
[Host… you did the right thing.]
Yu laughed bitterly through his tears, shaking his head.
"Right thing? I stomped on his foot like a kid and ran away crying."
[You protected yourself.]
DK01 countered, tone edged but steadier.
[Your body is fragile right now. Your instincts are volatile. The smallest slip could harm you, the baby, or them. What happened out there was a warning—and you listened.]
Yu sniffled, pressing his palms to his eyes, wishing he could wipe away more than just tears. His whole chest felt raw.
"I hate this… I hate feeling so weak. Like I can't even handle being touched without—without breaking."
DK01 paused. Its glow pulsed, almost like a heartbeat.
[Weakness? No. This is strength. You stopped. You chose. That's more control than most Incubi would have under the same circumstances. Don't forget that, Host. You're stronger than you think.]
Yu let out a shaky breath, his tears slowing, the words barely keeping him from falling apart completely. He tipped his head back against the door, eyes burning but calmer now, whispering.
"Then why does it still hurt so much?"
The silence that followed was heavier than anything DK01 could answer.
Yu stayed on the floor by the door before crawling over to the wall by his bed, curled knees pressed to his chest. The sobs had slowed, but every time his breath hitched, his stomach tensed, a dull ache radiating outward from the little swell that already felt like too heavy a secret. He pressed his forehead to his knees, muttering in a hoarse whisper.
"I didn't ask for this… I didn't want this."
His chest trembled.
'But I do want it…'
He admitted inwardly, the thought splintering him in two.
'Wanting the baby. Wanting the warmth. Wanting… them. Even if it kills me.'
DK01 flickered faintly at the edges of his vision, but stayed quiet now, as though even its mechanical warnings had softened into silence to let him grieve and recover.
The stillness in the room stretched long enough that Yu nearly drifted into a half-sleep, his cheek against his arm. Until—
A hesitant knock. Not loud, just enough to stir him.
"Yu."
Adrian's voice. Deeper than usual, quieter, careful.
Yu stiffened. His hand pressed against his belly, as if shielding it.
The knob turned, slow and deliberate, and Adrian eased the door open. He stepped in, his frame tense, still moving with soreness. His shirt clung to his skin with faint dampness, hair tousled as if he'd splashed water on his face in a futile attempt to cool down.
For a moment, he just looked at Yu. His eyes softened, riddled with worry. Without waiting for permission, Adrian crouched stiffly beside him, hissing at the pull in his muscles, then leaned in and gathered Yu against his chest.
Yu froze, body taut, but Adrian's arms only tightened—steady, protective.
"Shh…"
Adrian murmured, his voice low, almost breaking itself.
"I'm sorry. You don't deserve this."
Yu's throat burned. He wanted to push him away, but instead, he sagged into the warmth, trembling. Adrian's hand stroked his hair back, slow and reverent, his cheek pressing into the crown of Yu's head.
"You've been carrying too much alone."
Adrian whispered, each word heavier than the last.
"Cooking, cleaning, running around, smiling like nothing's wrong. I see it. I see you."
Yu squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to shatter again.
Adrian's lips ghosted over his temple—just barely, not daring to push further.
"I can't stand watching you hurt like this. If you'd let me…I'd take all of it from you. Every ache, every tear, every burden."
His voice broke, just enough.
"I'd make sure you were never alone again. So choose me. Only me…"
Yu's heart stung, a mix of longing and terror tangling inside him. He wanted to believe him. He wanted to fall into those words completely.
Still, Adrian held him tighter, his embrace saying all the things he left unsaid.
Yu trembled in Adrian's arms, the words perched at the edge of his tongue—
"Okay."
It scared him, how natural it felt to say it, how much his body leaned toward Adrian's warmth, his steady strength. His heart was already giving in, instincts and longing entwining until he almost whispered the word aloud.
And then—
[ALERT! Host has gone astray.]
DK01's voice blared inside his skull, metallic and merciless.
[Violation detected! Claiming a side character before the Tragic Target. Entering a harem without Tragic Target's explicit consent. Mission restart imminent. Initiating Defense Protocol.]
Yu's eyes widened.
'Wait—no—'
Adrian blinked, sensing the shift in Yu's body just before his eyes rolled back. His arms slackened, the warmth of his hold vanishing as his body slumped forward, unconscious.
"ADRIAN!"
Yu cried out, catching his weight as best as his smaller frame could, lowering him to lay flat on the floor with frantic hands. His own voice broke, desperate.
"What did you do!? Why did you—"
[Correction complete.]
DK01's tone was clipped, unfeeling.
[You were seconds away from jeopardizing not only the mission but yourself and the child. Distractions with side characters will not be tolerated.]
Yu's heart seized. His hand pressed instinctively to his stomach, panic flaring in his hazel eyes.
"You—you can't just knock him out like that!"
[I can, and I will.]
The voice sharpened, every syllable like iron striking steel.
[You forget your main goal:
The Tragic Target, Theo Kingsley. You are forbidden from diverging and claiming anyone else before cementing his permission first. Honestly speaking, I should restrict you to only interactions that progress his affection. That is my prerogative.]
Yu's whole body shook.
"That's not fair!"
His voice cracked, raw with grief and rage.
"Theo—Theo doesn't feel like Adrian's warmth or Callen's stupid smugness! Why can't I—why can't I choose? Why can't I just mess around first, why does it have to be Theo when I don't even know if I like him anymore!?"
[Your choice is irrelevant.]
The interface before Yu flickered—and then reshaped.
Not cold pixelated eyes with glasses. Not a sterile, lilac screen.
But a face.
Long black hair that shimmered like raven's wings. Caramel skin. Eyes like sharpened emeralds. Horns, proud and gleaming, arched to the heavens.
Yu's breath shattered. His knees buckled.
"Talo…"
Memory came, stabbing sharp. His Demon King, broken and bloodied in his arms, body growing cold as Yu wept over him. That final image—the emerald eyes dimming, the warmth draining—burned like salt in an open wound.
Yu's chest caved. The scream tore from him raw and animal, shredding his throat.
"WHY—why are you showing me this—!?"
The room shook with his rage. His sobs tangled with his screams as he tore at everything within reach. Sheets ripped from the bed in frantic fists. Clothes flung wildly from pulled out drawers. A lamp shattered against the wall, sparks flickering out with his ragged breath. His fists struck the desk until it cracked, splintering beneath his weight.
His body twisted, wild and feral, his voice cracking as he shouted.
"I remember him! I remember how he died! And you—"
He slammed his fists into the floor, tears blurring his sight.
"You're telling me I have to pretend someone else matters more than that!? That he doesn't—"
His chest heaved.
"—that he doesn't matter anymore!?"
Hazel eyes glowing faint red through his tears, Yu's sobs filled the ruined space.
The room looked like Callen's chaos reborn—shattered, disheveled, broken.
But nothing was as broken as the heart in the center of it.
Yu's sobs ripped the air apart, jagged and breathless. His vision blurred, but not enough to blur the reality before him—Adrian, sprawled unconscious where DK01 had struck him down.
It gutted him.
He had never asked for this—never asked for his choices to be stolen, never asked to be forced to pretend that Adrian, warm and real and right here, was second to Theo.
But what choice did he have?
His chest heaved with broken gasps, nails digging crescents into his palms. Nothing, no one, will ever matter more than saving Talo. That truth pulsed through him like blood, even as it burned. He knew it. He would bleed for it. He would break for it.
But it didn't stop the hurt. Didn't stop the way his heart twisted as he looked at Adrian's slack features, lashes fanned over his flushed skin.
'The man I've come to—'
The thought cracked, choking him on its edges.
The storm inside reached its apex. Yu staggered, legs giving out as he dropped to his knees among the wreckage he'd created. The floorboards felt cold, cruel, unyielding beneath him, but still he folded, body curling forward. His sobs came heavier, spilling from him in raw, unrestrained sound.
Pregnancy weighed heavy on him, his stomach a tender reminder. The Incubus hunger and the emotional crash sapped the last of his strength, dragging him deeper into the spiral.
Yu crawled, trembling, until his hands found Adrian's body. He clutched him with desperate, shaking arms, pulling him close as if he could anchor himself with Adrian's warmth—though there was none. Not now. Not with him unconscious, chest rising and falling but unaware.
"I'm sorry…"
Yu sobbed into Adrian's shirt, hot tears soaking the fabric. His voice broke, syllables slurred by grief and exhaustion.
"I'm so sorry… I can't… I can't lose him too…"
The words were a whisper swallowed by the mess of the room.
He pressed his forehead against Adrian's chest, trembling violently as the last of his energy drained away. The fight, the sobbing, the pregnancy, took their toll—it all crashed down at once. His arms grew weaker, his body heavier.
Yu clung tighter even as his eyes dimmed, sobs dissolving into hiccupping whimpers.
And then, with one final shuddering breath, he collapsed fully against Adrian's unconscious body, the two of them tangled on the wrecked floor—one broken by force, the other by heartbreak.
The storm was silent now, leaving only the ruin behind.
---
The room had gone still—so still the only sound was the soft, uneven rhythm of Yu's exhausted breathing against Adrian's chest. Shattered furniture, torn fabric, strewn clothes—all of it sat like mute witnesses to the storm he had just unleashed.
And then DK01's voice slid into the silence.
[Observation: Host's vitals stable. Fetus's vitals, stable. Emotional state… compromised beyond acceptable limits.]
The flatness of the report should have made it clinical, but there was something else threading through the tone now, something sharper. Almost human. Almost judgmental.
[Adrian Cross.
Male.
Age: twenty-seven.
Mortal.
Nationality: Half-Japanese, half-American.
Weakness: pitiful endurance, fragile musculature after being fed off of, overconfidence compensating for lack of control.]
Yu didn't stir, didn't respond—too far gone into exhaustion.
The system continued, voice low, merciless.
[He is unworthy of this attachment. An unrefined thug wearing the weight of tattoos like armor, mistaking ink for strength. He cannot protect you. He cannot carry you. He cannot be the one you carry a child for.]
The words cut, though Yu was barely conscious to hear them.
There was a pause, and the coldness thickened—an echo of disdain that could almost be mistaken for the bite of a parent disapproving a lover.
[He will never be enough. Not for you. Not for what you carry. If he persists, if he interferes further with your mission, I will excise him without hesitation.]
A beat, like the pause before a knife was driven deeper.
[He is not your Demon King. He will never be your Demon King.]
The words lingered in the ruin of the room, sharp and brutal, as DK01's interface dimmed back to standby.
Leaving Yu clinging to Adrian in fragile defiance.