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Lewis shut the hotel door behind him, the slam sharp enough to make the chandelier above rattle. He didn’t even look at Nico—he rarely did anymore, not unless one of them was cutting with words.
But then Max shifted nervously from foot to foot in the center of the room, hands tugging at the hem of his hoodie. His scent unfurled like a warm blanket after rain: honey-thick sweetness, tulips crushed beneath bare feet, the gentle press of summer storms. It crawled right under both alphas’ skin.
Nico exhaled first, sharp, nostrils flaring. “Scheiße.” His eyes dragged over Max, narrowing as if he hated himself for how badly he wanted.
Lewis’s jaw clenched, but his boots carried him forward anyway. “On your knees, baby.” His voice was low, almost a growl.
Max obeyed without a word, sinking down on the plush carpet. His wide blue eyes flicked nervously between them, but his body betrayed him, thighs pressing together, breath quickening as the weight of both their stares settled heavy on him.
“You smell it too,” Nico muttered, voice harsh but shaky.
Lewis didn’t answer. He just reached down, hooked two fingers under Max’s jaw, and tilted his chin up so he had to look at him. The omega’s lips parted on instinct, pink and wet and begging.
“You’re the only reason I even tolerate him in the same room,” Lewis told Max, thumb brushing across his lower lip.
Nico crouched down beside them, reaching into his bag. When he pulled it free, Max’s breath caught—a heavy steel collar, chain links thick and cold. He dangled it like bait.
“Not if he wears my mark,” Nico said.
Max whimpered, torn between them, the sound dripping desperation.
Max stayed kneeling, thighs spread, palms flat on the carpet. The smell of him filled the hotel room now, cloying and sweet, dripping off him in waves that made Nico’s pupils blow wide.
Lewis had disappeared into the adjoining room to grab his own collar. That left Max alone under Nico’s gaze.
The older alpha crouched down, boots squeaking against the plush rug, and let his hand slide into Max’s hair. His fingers were warm, slow, deliberate as they combed through the omega’s damp strands. He wasn’t yanking, not yet. Too gentle.
Max’s lashes fluttered. “Nico…”
Nico hummed low in his chest, leaning in until his breath brushed Max’s ear. “You know what you smell like right now?” he whispered. “Honey and rain. Like the kind of storm that makes men lose their minds.”
Max shivered. “You’re—” He tried to bite the inside of his cheek, keep the words down, but they spilled out anyway. “You’re trying to make me pick you.”
Nico’s hand tightened just a fraction, not enough to hurt, just enough to remind him who was in charge. “I’m not trying, Maxie. I’m showing you what it feels like when someone actually takes care of you.” His thumb brushed the back of Max’s neck, a stroke that was almost a caress. “When someone wants you for more than just a fight.”
Max’s heart was a wild rabbit in his chest. He leaned, just a little, into the touch. “And Lewis?”
Nico’s mouth curved, not a smile but close. “Lewis only remembers you when you’re on your knees. I remember you when you stand.”
The omega’s breath hitched; his fingers curled against the carpet. “Stop.” It came out a whisper. “You’re making this…”
“Real?” Nico murmured. “It’s already real.” His hand slid lower, fingers trailing down the column of Max’s throat to the top of his hoodie. “Choose me now, and I’ll make sure you’re never just a trophy between us.”
The door clicked open behind them. Lewis’s boots thudded back into the room, and Max flinched. Nico’s hand stilled but didn’t leave his hair.
Lewis’s voice was smooth but edged, carrying a note of danger. “Didn’t know we’d started without me.” He dangled his collar in one hand — black leather, silver buckle, a ring at the throat. “But I’m here now.”
Max turned his head slightly, caught between the two of them, still kneeling, both collars glinting in the dim light.
Lewis didn’t stop walking until he was right in front of Max, close enough that the omega had to crane his neck to meet his eyes. He crouched, smooth, predatory, one knee on the carpet so they were face to face.
The black leather collar dangled from his fingers, the silver ring glinting in the low light. “See this?” Lewis murmured, tilting it so the buckle grazed Max’s cheek. “This says you’re mine. My boy. No one else’s.”
Max’s lips parted, breath quick and shallow. Behind him, Nico’s hand was still tangled in his hair, firm and possessive, anchoring him in place.
“He’s confused,” Nico said evenly, voice a touch smug. “You’ve already got him trembling, Lewis. But the second I touched him? He leaned into me.” His hand shifted, curling around the back of Max’s neck, and Max shivered under the weight of it.
“Because you’re playing soft,” Lewis snapped back, eyes still locked on Max. “Maxie doesn’t need soft. He needs someone who knows what to do with him.”
“Or maybe he needs someone who remembers he’s human,” Nico bit back, tugging gently at Max’s hair until his head tilted.
Caught between them, Max whimpered, his thighs squeezing together. The sound made both alphas freeze—then lean in closer, like sharks scenting blood.
Lewis brought the collar up under Max’s chin, pressing the leather to his throat. His thumb dragged across Max’s bottom lip, smearing the faint shine of spit there. “Say it. Say you want mine.”
Nico’s grip tightened in his hair, yanking his head back just enough to bare his throat, then pressed the cold weight of the steel chain collar against the skin. “No, Maxie. Say you want this one. You’ll look beautiful with it biting into your neck.”
The omega’s breath hitched, chest heaving, both collars touching his skin now, two sets of alpha eyes boring into him, waiting for him to beg.
Max made a low, desperate sound, his throat bobbing against the leather at his neck. His hands curled uselessly in his lap, nails biting into his palms.
“I—” his voice cracked, breath fluttering. “I don’t want to pick. I don’t want to.”
Lewis’s dark eyes narrowed. “You’re stalling.” The collar in his hand pressed firmer against Max’s throat, a challenge, a warning. “That’s not how this works, baby. You don’t get both.”
But Nico leaned down, his breath brushing Max’s ear. “Don’t listen to him. You don’t have to decide if you don’t want to. You just have to show who you lean into more. Who makes you feel safe.” His fingers stroked gently through Max’s curls, a wolf in velvet gloves.
Max’s lips parted, trembling. He didn’t lean—not into Lewis’s commanding presence, not into Nico’s coaxing touch. He stayed frozen in the middle, wide blue eyes darting between them.
“God, look at him,” Lewis muttered, a humorless laugh spilling out. “You’re eating this up, aren’t you, Maxie? Two alphas fighting over you. That why you smell so sweet right now?” His nose brushed Max’s jaw, inhaling deep.
“Because he deserves it,” Nico countered, tilting Max’s head back even further, baring his throat fully now. “He’s perfect, Lewis. He doesn’t have to choose. We both know neither of us can give him up.”
Max whimpered again, thighs squeezing together as slick heat pooled between them, the scent of honey and rain growing thicker in the air, choking.
Both alphas felt it. Both alphas wanted to claim it.
And neither was going to back down.
The air was already too tight, too charged, Max trembling on his knees between them, collar dangling at his throat like a brand not yet sealed.
Lewis moved first. He always did. A sharp press of dominance, palm sliding into Max’s curls, yanking his head back until Max’s lips parted in a soft gasp. “Enough stalling,” Lewis said low, dangerous, right against his mouth. “He wants both of us? Fine. But he knows who leads.”
Max’s eyes fluttered shut at the burn of Lewis’s grip, the rasp of his voice, his body already bowing forward.
But Nico wasn’t retreating. He bent, his chest flush against Max’s back, his lips grazing the omega’s ear. “He doesn’t want to be led. He wants to be worshipped.” His hands were already splayed across Max’s stomach, sliding lower, possessive and patient in the way that made Max’s skin crawl with heat.
“Worship doesn’t keep him in line,” Lewis snapped, but his hold didn’t ease, if anything it twisted harder.
“And brute force won’t keep him happy,” Nico replied smoothly. His hand found Max’s thigh, kneading until Max let out a strangled whimper, thighs parting just barely.
Lewis and Nico locked eyes over Max’s trembling shoulders, fire meeting ice, neither willing to concede.
Max’s breath hitched, and he blurted, half-desperate: “Both. Please—both. Don’t make me—”
His plea broke into a gasp as Lewis shoved his thumb into Max’s mouth, muffling him, silencing him. “Shh. We’ll decide what you can have, baby.”
Nico smirked, hand sliding higher, purposeful now. “Or maybe he just decided for us.”
Lewis had Max’s mouth already stretched around him, those pale lips slick and bruised from the sheer force of his thrusts, while Nico pressed close behind, teeth grazing the curve of Max’s neck as his fingers worked him open, determined to sink deeper, faster.
Max whimpered around Lewis, body rocking forward under the push and pull of two very different styles of control.
“See how much better he takes me?” Lewis taunted, shoving in harder, forcing Max to gag and clutch at his thighs. “He’s built for this.”
Nico’s laugh was soft, bitter. “All you can do is use his throat. Watch—” and his fingers slammed home, too sharp, too sudden, making Max jolt, cry out against Lewis’s cock. His nails clawed at the floor.
Lewis snarled, yanking out of Max’s mouth so fast spit trailed down his chin. “Careless. You’ll tear him open trying to win.”
“And you won’t choke him half to death?” Nico shot back, eyes flaring.
But then Max was sobbing, shoulders shaking, voice breaking between them: “Stop—stop—hurts—”
Everything froze. Lewis’s hand loosened in his hair. Nico’s fingers stilled, breath catching.
And in the silence, Max curled in on himself, trembling.
“Fuck,” Lewis muttered first, crouching, his voice lower now, panicked under the surface. “Baby, look at me—didn’t mean to—”
Nico’s palm hovered uselessly above Max’s spine. For once, his mask cracked. “Scheiße. Maxie, I’m sorry—”
Max sniffled, refusing to lift his face, caught between the two of them, caught in the jagged edges of their competition.
Lewis reached for Max first, but Nico’s hand cut in, palm warm on Max’s thigh. “Let me—”
“Back off,” Lewis snapped, his voice low but dangerous. “You’ve done enough damage.”
Nico’s jaw ticked. “At least I was giving him more than a throat to ruin.”
The growl Lewis let out would’ve scared anyone else—but Max shoved them both back with shaky arms, eyes glassy, lips wet and swollen. “No. No—stop.”
Both alphas froze.
“You can’t—” Max’s voice cracked, but he forced it out anyway, chest heaving. “You can’t just treat me like I’m—fuck—a toy you pass back and forth. You either—” his breath stuttered, tears threatening again—“you either work together, or I’m leaving. I swear I’ll walk out that door and find an alpha who doesn’t make me feel like—like I’m breaking.”
The silence that followed was heavy. Lewis’s nostrils flared, Nico’s throat bobbed hard.
But neither argued.
Because Max’s scent, usually soft as spring rain, had a jagged edge now—stormy, warning. And both of them knew if he pulled away, if he left, neither would ever get that sweetness back.
The silence after Max’s words cut sharper than any fight. Nico’s hand had gone slack on his thigh; Lewis’s fists had unclenched. Both of them stared, like they’d just realized the glass doll they’d been tugging over was flesh and blood, breathing, hurting.
“Max…” Lewis started, voice lower, almost ashamed.
“Don’t,” Max muttered, swiping at his eyes. “I’m not—” His throat closed, and he forced it open again. “I’m not going to stay here if it’s just about beating the other. I’m not.”
Nico inhaled sharply, guilt pulling his features tight. His fingers, tentative now, brushed Max’s hair back from his damp forehead. “We hear you.”
Max’s lip wobbled, though he tried to bite it steady.
Lewis crouched lower, catching Max’s gaze. “Then let us… show you we can do this right.”
Max hesitated. He should leave. He should. But his body betrayed him—hips tilting forward, scent thickening despite the ache in his chest. Want and warning tangled in the air.
Lewis saw it, Nico felt it. And for the first time that night, the alphas didn’t fight—they moved in tandem.
Nico pressed a kiss to Max’s temple, soft as an apology. Lewis’s hand cupped Max’s jaw, not to hold him still, but to ground him. Their voices overlapped, the same cadence, the same vow:
“You’re not a toy. You’re ours.”
And when Lewis eased Max’s thighs apart again, it wasn’t rough, wasn’t competitive. Nico was right there with him, steadying Max’s shiver, whispering into his hair that he was sweet, that he was safe.
Max exhaled a shaky breath, the sting in his chest ebbing. “Better,” he murmured, almost daring them.
“Better,” Lewis promised.
“Together,” Nico added.
And for once, they meant it.
Max lay back, chest rising too fast, his thighs trembling where they’d fallen open. The sharpness from before still hovered at the edges, but now there was something steadier threading through it: their focus, their restraint.
Lewis knelt between his legs, dark eyes fixed where Max was swollen and slick. One big hand steadied Max’s thigh, the other teasing lower, circling the tight furled muscle with deliberate patience.
Max shuddered, every ripple of touch pulling another thin thread of slick from him, dampening the floor beneath. The muscle twitched open and closed against Lewis’s fingertip, like his body couldn’t decide if it wanted to resist or beg.
“Easy,” Lewis murmured, his voice softened from the rasp it carried when they fought. “Look at you. Opening up already.”
Max bit down on his lip, a whine sneaking through anyway.
Nico leaned down against his other side, brushing Max’s hair from his damp forehead, mouth near his ear. “You feel it, don’t you? How much you want this.” His words weren’t sharp, not this time—they curved gentle, coaxing.
Lewis pressed in just the tip of his finger, slow enough for Max’s body to suck him in without pain. The slick sound was obscene, wet and inviting, making Lewis hiss softly under his breath.
Max’s nails dug into Nico’s forearm where it lay across his chest. “F-fuck, that—” His hips lifted, a reflex, chasing more.
“Shhh, shhh,” Nico soothed, his lips brushing the shell of Max’s ear. “Let him work you open.”
Lewis’s finger circled again as he withdrew, then pressed deeper, just enough for Max to gasp. The muscles fluttered desperately around him, trying to draw him in further, slick dribbling out to coat Lewis’s knuckles.
“So greedy already,” Lewis whispered, eyes flicking up to Nico’s. For once, Nico didn’t glare. He just smirked faintly and stroked Max’s chest, like he was proud too.
Lewis’s finger curled inside him, brushing just enough to make Max’s breath catch. The wet sound of slick filled the quiet, broken only by Max’s shaky whines.
Nico’s hand smoothed through Max’s hair, down the line of his jaw, tilting his head until he could look into his flushed, tear-bright eyes. But when Nico spoke, it wasn’t to Max at all.
“Lewis,” he said evenly, thumb stroking over Max’s temple, “this floor isn’t exactly the most comfortable place, is it? Should we move him to the bed?”
Lewis didn’t stop moving his finger, slow, deliberate thrusts that made Max shudder. He looked up at Nico, one eyebrow lifting. “Or the couch. Easier angle there.”
Max whimpered, hips jerking helplessly at the casual tone of their discussion, as if he weren’t trembling apart under their hands already. “D-don’t—don’t talk about me like I’m not here.”
Nico’s mouth curved, not unkind. “Oh, but you are here. Right here between us. That’s why we’re thinking so carefully, Liebling. We don’t want to hurt you.”
Lewis slid his finger deeper, pressing his thumb just at the stretched rim, holding Max open. “Bed has more room to spread him out. Tie his wrists if he needs it.” His voice was clinical, thoughtful, but his eyes burned as he watched Max squirm.
Nico hummed like he was considering it seriously, all while brushing his lips to Max’s cheek. “Or the couch. He’d be bent over the armrest. Easy for both of us to use him, ja?”
Max choked on a moan, his legs trying to close, though Lewis’s hand held him wide open. “S-stop—stop deciding like I’m furniture—”
Nico’s laugh was low in his throat, curling warm against Max’s ear. “But you’re not furniture. You’re better. You’re ours.”
Lewis’s finger pressed deeper, curling just right, and Max broke into another high sound.
Lewis’s finger curled, slow and deep, drawing a helpless shudder from Max’s hips. Slick dripped over Lewis’s knuckles, his thumb teasing the rim.
Nico’s hand was still in Max’s hair, stroking like he could pet a decision out of him. “Lewis,” he murmured, “the bed might be kinder. He’s shaking.”
Lewis’s dark eyes lifted, met Nico’s, then dropped to Max’s flushed, tear-bright face. “Yeah,” he said, withdrawing his finger only to press it back in and make Max cry out. “Bed gives us room. Tie him, open him properly.”
Nico stopped stroking and just grabbed, sliding his arms under Max’s knees and shoulders in one smooth motion. Max yelped as he was lifted, his body clenching around Lewis’s still-inserted finger before it slipped free.
“We’ll decide for you,” Nico said softly. “The bed.”
Lewis was already moving ahead of them, throwing back the duvet, sleeves rolled up. His eyes flicked to Max’s trembling thighs, then back to Nico. “Lay him here. Face down. Spread.”
Max whimpered again but didn’t fight, the scent of his slick and his omega-sweet skin filling the room as Nico placed him on the sheets. Lewis’s hand pressed between his shoulder blades, firm but gentle. “Breathe, Max. Good boy.”
Nico’s voice dropped lower, brushing Max’s ear as he helped him settle. “You told us to work together, ja? We’re listening. Now let us take care of you.”
Lewis reached for the lube again, his fingers glistening. “Deep breath, Maxie. We’re gonna open you right.”
“Hands and knees,” Lewis murmured, voice low but iron-edged. His palms pressed down between Max’s shoulder blades, urging him forward until his elbows buckled and he scrambled up onto trembling hands.
“Arch,” Nico added from behind, and when Max hesitated, Nico slid a hand on his back and pushed, forcing the curve into his spine until his ass was high and open. Max flushed deep red, face buried in the sheets, thighs shaking.
“There,” Lewis said, almost satisfied. His hand smoothed down the line of Max’s back, thumb pressing at the dip of his spine. “Look at him, Nico. Perfect omega.”
Max whimpered into the sheets. “S-stop—”
“You don’t want us to stop,” Nico interrupted gently, fingers slipping between Max’s thighs to nudge them wider. He glanced at Lewis, and for once, they didn’t fight about who touched where. Nico held Max steady, hands braced on his hips, while Lewis slicked his fingers and pressed two inside in one slow, careful thrust.
Max cried out, back arching deeper, his scent flooding sweet and thick into the air.
“Good,” Lewis whispered, curling his fingers just right. “You’re taking me so well, baby.”
“Ja, good boy,” Nico echoed, thumbs stroking circles into Max’s hips as though he were grounding him. “Hold still for us. Let us open you.”
Lewis worked Max open, fingers pumping, twisting, while Nico held him in the position, occasionally smacking his ass lightly when he tried to wriggle away. Their voices overlapped—Lewis’s deep and smooth, Nico’s sharp-edged but softening when it was just for Max—layering praise, instruction, and the occasional taunt.
“Stay arched.”
“Spread wider.”
“Beautiful.”
Max sobbed, leaking slick down his thighs, hands curling into fists against the sheets as both alphas guided him together.
Lewis withdrew his fingers only long enough to slick them again, glancing at Nico. “Your turn. We’ll do this together.”
Nico’s eyes flicked to Max’s flushed, tear-streaked face pressed into the sheets, then back to Lewis. For once, no hesitation. He knelt beside him, slicked his own fingers, and reached down.
“Breathe for us, Maxie,” Nico murmured, slipping one thick finger in beside Lewis’s two. Max’s whole body jolted, a wet gasp tearing out of his throat.
Lewis steadied him with a firm hand on his lower back. “Good boy. You can take it.”
They worked in rhythm—Lewis curling deep, Nico stretching wider—until Max was shuddering, hips caught between the two alphas’ hands, slick dripping down the insides of his thighs. His arms shook under his weight, elbows giving out until his chest sagged into the sheets.
“Arch,” Lewis reminded him, tugging his hips back up, and Nico caught his waist, holding him there while they pressed another finger in.
Four now. Max’s mouth fell open around a broken sob.
“Shhh, easy,” Nico soothed, brushing damp curls from Max’s forehead. “We’re right here. You said you wanted both of us, ja? Then let us do this right.”
Lewis’s voice dropped lower, rougher. “Opening you together. Stretching you until you can take us both.” His fingers twisted, deliberate and slow, while Nico pressed deeper alongside him.
Max sobbed into the sheets, slick gushing, his body caught helplessly between them, trembling and pliant. His scent was overwhelming—sweet honey, tulips, the sharp rain-snap edge of his heat—and both alphas breathed it in like they were starving.
Lewis leaned down, lips brushing Max’s ear. “Look at you. Perfect little omega, split open by both your alphas.”
Nico’s hand was firm on his hip, grounding him, while his other hand never stopped stretching Max wider. “Don’t fight it, Maxie. Just take us.”
And Max did—body opening, tears streaming, voice breaking on a needy, desperate, “please.”
Lewis eased his fingers out, slick glistening, and caught Nico’s eye. “He’s ready.”
Nico nodded, but his gaze stayed locked on Max, trembling and pliant, chest heaving with uneven breaths. “We’ll make it easier on him.”
Lewis lay back against the sheets, tugging Max gently down over him until the omega was straddling his hips. Max gasped at the change in angle, thighs quivering as slick dripped hot and heavy down his inner legs. Lewis’s strong hands cupped his waist, steadying him.
“Shhh, easy, baby,” Lewis whispered, his voice soft, coaxing. “Sit on me. I’ve got you.”
Max swallowed, dizzy with heat, and let Lewis guide him down. The head of Lewis’s cock nudged against his stretched entrance, slick coating them both. Max whimpered, hips trembling as he started to sink, slow and shaky.
Behind him, the mattress dipped. Nico moved closer, his chest pressing against Max’s back, his breath warm at the curve of his neck. His hands slid over Max’s hips, palms broad, fingers spreading over soft, overheated skin. He brushed Max’s trembling stomach, then lower, coaxing him further down onto Lewis’s cock.
“Gorgeous,” Nico murmured, kissing behind his ear. “So gorgeous like this. Sitting on one alpha and still open for the other.”
Max’s head lolled back against Nico’s shoulder, lips parted, voice cracked and high. “C–can’t, I can’t—”
“You can,” Lewis cut in, calm and steady beneath him. His hands rubbed soothing circles into Max’s hips, even as he pressed deeper, filling him inch by inch. “You’re built for this. Built for us.”
Nico’s hands tightened, guiding Max’s back into a sharper arch, showing him off. His fingers skimmed down, brushing the slick seam stretched tight around Lewis’s cock, then lower still, teasing where he knew he’d be next.
Max’s whole body shuddered, caught between them, as Nico murmured, “Let us take you together, Maxie. No more choosing. Just both of us, inside you.”
Max whimpered as Lewis finally bottomed out, the stretch deep and unrelenting, his thighs shaking as he sat fully in the older alpha’s lap. Lewis’s hands smoothed over his hips, grounding him, a low rumble of approval vibrating up from his chest.
“Good boy,” Lewis murmured. “Taking me so well. But you’re not done yet.”
Max barely had time to process the words before he felt Nico’s slick fingers again, circling where Lewis filled him. The pressure was already almost too much, his body straining to keep around one cock—and then Nico was lining himself up, cockhead nudging insistently at the same stretched ring.
Max’s head snapped back against Nico’s shoulder, a ragged sob spilling out. “No—no, too much, I can’t—”
“Yes, you can,” Nico soothed, his lips brushing the side of Max’s damp temple. “We’ll go slow. Together. Just breathe.”
Lewis cupped Max’s flushed face, forcing him to look down into steady, grounding dark eyes. “Look at me. Don’t run. Take it.”
And Max—trembling, gasping, eyes glassy—obeyed.
Nico pressed forward, careful but insistent, and Max’s body clenched and fluttered wildly, fighting and yielding all at once as the second cock pushed into the space already filled. His nails scrabbled weakly at Lewis’s chest, his whole body arching as slick squelched around them.
“Oh, fuck,” Max keened, voice cracking, broken sob caught on the edge of a scream. “Oh god—god, I can’t—”
“You are,” Lewis growled, arms wrapping tighter around Max’s waist to hold him steady. “You’re taking both of us. That’s it, baby. That’s it.”
Nico groaned low against Max’s neck as the last inch slid in, hips flush with his trembling body. “Scheisse. He’s perfect.” His hands wrapped around Max’s belly, feeling the hard swell of both of them stretching him. “So fucking tight, Maxie.”
Sandwiched between them, Max sobbed, slick dripping messily down his thighs. His body shook with every throb of fullness, every grind of Lewis’s cock beneath him and Nico’s girth behind him. His voice was wrecked when he gasped out, “Can’t… can’t breathe. Too much.”
Lewis kissed him, swallowing the cry, murmuring against his mouth, “Breathe with me. You’re okay. We’ve got you.”
And with both alphas seated deep inside, Max’s body clamped and quivered, caught between helpless sobs and the rawest, neediest pleasure.
Max’s whole body was trembling, slicked skin flushed red where Lewis held him steady. Both alphas were seated so deep inside him he could barely think—just feel. The impossible stretch, the obscene fullness, his hole fluttering helplessly around them as though it couldn’t decide which cock to cling to harder.
Then Nico shifted, just a slow grind forward, and Max choked on a sob.
It wasn’t just movement—it was devastatingly precise. The thick drag of Nico’s cock ground against the exact spot inside him that made his vision go white at the edges. His body lurched, his cock jerking against his belly, leaking in helpless pulses.
“F-fuck, please,” Max wailed, nails biting into Lewis’s chest. His hard length drooled pre over Lewis’s skin, smearing slick trails against the older alpha’s pecs. “I can’t—oh god, I can’t—”
Lewis tightened his grip on Max’s thighs, holding him flush even as his own hips rolled up in counterpoint to Nico’s. The rhythm sent Max clenching down, caught, squeezed, then stretched again in a brutal cycle.
“Shh,” Lewis murmured against his ear, voice warm velvet over steel. “You can. Look at you. Taking us both. You’re leaking just from the way we’re filling you. Your body loves it, Max.”
Nico’s hand slid down Max’s belly, pressing just above his swollen cock, forcing another deep cry from his throat as his prostate was massaged inside and out at once. The omega bucked helplessly, his cock bobbing and spurting thin strands of pre across Lewis’s chest.
“So pretty,” Nico purred, though his hands were tender as they steadied Max. “Your cock’s so red, dripping like you’re already fucked dumb. You want to come without either of us even touching you?”
Max sobbed, head falling back against Nico’s shoulder, throat working on a broken sound that wasn’t quite yes or no. Every grind, every thrust had his cock twitching and spilling, leaking down onto Lewis, the humiliation and the bliss tangled so tightly he couldn’t untangle them.
Lewis kissed the mess of his face, tasting the tears. “Let go, baby. Show us how much you love it. Come just from us splitting you open.”
Max let out a strangled scream as Nico’s cock dragged across his prostate again, the exact angle that made every nerve in him short-circuit. He didn’t even have time to fight it—his body seized, thighs trembling violently around Lewis’s hips, his cock jerking against his belly before painting both their skin in thick, hot stripes of cum.
It came out in desperate spurts, ropes streaking Lewis’s chest, dripping down his abs, pooling messily between them. Max couldn’t stop shaking, his voice catching on sobs as his body milked around the two alphas buried deep in him. His hole clenched like it was begging them not to move, pulsing so tight it dragged groans out of both men at once.
“Fuck, look at him,” Nico hissed, still rocking forward with slow, devastating precision, keeping the pressure on that sweet spot. “Didn’t even touch his cock, and he’s still spilling everywhere. Our greedy little omega.”
Lewis’s hand framed Max’s jaw, forcing his tear-bright blue eyes to meet his own. He kissed the corner of his mouth, slow and wet, tasting the broken whimper Max gave him. “So perfect. Came just from us filling you, didn’t you? Just from being split open on your alphas’ cocks.”
Max tried to shake his head, to argue, but all that came out was another shattered cry as another thick ribbon of cum dribbled from his cock, dripping between Lewis’s ribs. His body wouldn’t stop—clenching, releasing, fluttering around them like he was trying to wring them both dry even though neither had spilled yet.
Lewis stroked soothing hands over his hips, whispering against his mouth, “That’s it, baby. Give us everything. You don’t need your cock touched to come—you just need us inside you.”
Max’s whole body gave out, trembling and boneless as he folded down against Lewis’s chest. His hands fisted weakly in Lewis’s skin, hiding his face in the curve of his neck while quiet, wrecked little sobs shook through him.
Lewis barely moved, just shifted his hips enough to stay buried but not hurt him, big palms stroking slow circles across Max’s sweat-damp back. His voice was low, velvet, soothing against Max’s ear. “Shh, baby. You’re alright. You did so good for us. Breathe for me, yeah? I’ve got you.”
Behind him, Nico pressed in close, his mouth at Max’s nape, soft kisses mapping the sensitive skin there. His hands framed Max’s hips—not forcing, just holding, grounding him with a steady warmth. He murmured against Max’s hairline in German, little endearments, promises that he was safe, cherished, theirs.
Max cried harder at that, his whole body shuddering with the aftershocks. His cock was spent and sticky against Lewis’s chest, but he still felt too full, too sensitive, his hole fluttering helplessly around the cocks stretching him.
Lewis cupped the back of his neck, guiding his head up just enough to brush his lips over Max’s damp temple. “Let it out, sweetheart. You’re perfect. You gave us everything, and we’re not going anywhere.”
Nico hummed in agreement, his cheek pressed to Max’s shoulder blade as he kissed him again, softer, reverent. “No fighting, no choosing. We’ll take care of you together.”
Max just sobbed quietly into Lewis’s throat, his chest hitching, every inch of him trembling but cocooned between the two alphas, their touches steadying him while he came back down.
His breath evened out just barely, enough for him to lift his head from Lewis’s neck. His face was blotchy, wet, but his blue eyes burned through the haze, fixed desperately between them. His voice cracked when it finally came, thin and wrecked.
“Please—” Max swallowed hard, his thighs trembling where they straddled Lewis. He shifted just slightly, feeling both alphas still thick inside him, so deep he could barely breathe. “Please knot me. Please come inside. I’ve— I’ve been so good for you—”
Lewis’s hands tightened on his back, one sliding down to cradle his hip, the other stroking gently over his hair as if to soothe. His dark eyes softened, even as his cock twitched at Max’s pleading. “Sweetheart,” he murmured, almost breaking. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
“I do,” Max shot back, a gasp lacing his words, almost a sob. He pressed back against Nico’s hips at the same time he rocked forward into Lewis’s, every inch of him shaking. “I do, I want it. Please—need you both—need to feel it.”
Nico’s mouth was still at his nape, his breath hot against the salt of Max’s damp skin. His voice came low, torn between hunger and awe. “He has been good, Lewis. So obedient. So beautiful.” His hands flexed against Max’s waist, holding him steady. “We should reward him.”
Lewis tipped his head back, groaning, torn apart by Max’s begging and Nico’s quiet insistence. Max whined again, keening, his nails dragging across Lewis’s shoulders.
“Please,” he gasped, voice breaking. “Fill me. Knot me. Both of you—don’t make me beg more, I’m already begging—”
Lewis exchanged a look with Nico over Max’s trembling body. Something unspoken passed between them, the kind of wordless pact only two alphas on the same frequency could strike. Then, almost in unison, they began to move.
Lewis shifted his hips first, slow and careful, his cock dragging along Max’s slick walls while his hands kept Max pinned, steady. Nico followed, rolling forward from behind, the rhythm almost mirrored so that Max was caught perfectly between them—stuffed full, stretched wide, rocked into helpless gasps.
Max cried out, the sound sharp and beautiful in the small room. His hands scrabbled against Lewis’s chest, then clutched tight as though bracing for impact, even though the thrusts stayed measured, deliberate.
“Shhh,” Lewis soothed, one thumb brushing across Max’s damp cheek. “We’ll give you what you want, baby. Just let us… take our time.”
Behind him, Nico pressed closer, lips dragging along Max’s neck, his teeth grazing but never quite biting. “You feel that?” Nico murmured, his voice molten, low. “Two alphas moving inside you. You’re dripping for it.” His hips rolled deeper, syncopated with Lewis’s until Max was nothing but sound and shiver.
Max’s mouth fell open, his head tilting back helplessly onto Nico’s shoulder. “Oh—oh fuck—” The words dissolved into a whine, his body clenching around them in desperate pulses.
Every time Lewis pushed up, Nico pushed in, and Max was caught between them, overwhelmed, every nerve burning. His slick squelched obscenely, coating them both, dripping down his thighs.
“You like being split open like this?” Lewis coaxed, voice soft but tight with strain. “Can’t even breathe without us inside you.”
Max nodded frantically, tears slipping down his cheeks. “Y-yes—yes, I like it, please don’t stop—”
They didn’t change the pace. That was the worst part. Lewis and Nico kept the same deliberate tempo, deep and slow, rolling Max back and forth between them like he was nothing but their sweet, pliant toy. No pounding, no frenzied rutting—just relentless pressure that gave him no relief.
Max’s whole body shook, thighs trembling where they straddled Lewis’s hips. Every thrust from behind drove him forward onto Lewis, who opened him again, stretching him impossibly wide. His voice cracked into sharp little sobs, each one spilling out hotter than the last.
“Shhh, sweetheart,” Lewis murmured, catching Max’s face in one big palm. His thumb brushed under Max’s eye, smearing the tears away even as more kept falling. “You’re doing so well for us. So beautiful like this. Look at me—just breathe, baby.”
Max tried, gasping wetly against Lewis’s chest, but the tears wouldn’t stop. His lips trembled, trying to form words—please, too much, can’t, need—but they only tangled into a sob that had Nico groaning low into his ear.
“That’s it,” Nico whispered, pressing a tender kiss against Max’s nape, so at odds with the steady roll of his hips. “Let it out. You don’t have to be strong here. Not with us.”
Lewis tipped Max’s face up, making him meet his gaze even through the blur of tears. “You’re not breaking, Maxie. You’re perfect.” He kissed him—soft, slow, catching Max’s sob against his lips before pulling back to thumb another tear away.
The rhythm never faltered. Every movement inside him dragged out another helpless sound, another tear streaking down his flushed cheeks. Max sobbed freely now, his whole body trembling in their hold, stretched and filled and cherished in equal measure.
Lewis brushed the tears from Max’s cheeks with such care it nearly broke him further. Max shook his head against Lewis’s chest, sobbing, trying to form a plea through the gasps.
“Please,” he stammered, lips dragging wet over Lewis’s throat. “Please—want—want you, need you to—” His words crumbled into another sharp cry as Nico’s hips pressed flush.
Lewis’s eyes flicked to Nico over Max’s shoulder. They didn’t need words—just the sharp edge of Nico’s nod, the heat in his eyes.
“Alright, baby,” Lewis whispered, stroking down Max’s back as if coaxing him to loosen. “We’ll give it to you. You’ve been so good for us.”
The next thrust was different. Nico’s knot pushed forward, stretching Max wider than he’d ever been. Max’s cry broke ragged against Lewis’s lips, nails biting into his shoulders.
“There you go, let it happen,” Lewis soothed, kissing the tears as they fell. “Take it all, Maxie.”
Max tried—tried to breathe through it, tried to hold himself together—but the pressure split him open, forced his body to yield. Nico groaned low behind him, fingers digging into Max’s hips as the knot finally slid past.
Max screamed against Lewis’s chest, voice cracking on the sound, and Lewis swallowed it in a rough kiss. “Good boy. Good, good boy. You’ve got us now. Both of us.”
He was trembling uncontrollably, clinging to Lewis, tears soaking the man’s neck as Nico ground him down and filled him with his heat.
“There,” Nico murmured against his ear, breathless but tender. “Now you’re ours. Completely.”
Lewis rocked up into him at the same moment, knotting him from the front, locking Max in place. The stretch was unbearable—ecstasy tangled with torment—and Max could only sob, body shaking violently as his mind drowned in the feeling of being claimed.
Max was shaking, his thighs useless now, all his weight sagging into Lewis’s chest. Every thrust had him gasping, crying, his body too full to process the stretch, the heat, the pressure of both knots swelling tight inside him.
“Shhh,” Lewis hushed him, lips brushing his temple. His hand cupped Max’s jaw, thumb smearing wetness from his cheek as if it didn’t matter how messy he was. “You’re perfect, baby. Just hold on for us.”
Nico’s thrusts sharpened, hips locked tight against Max’s ass. His voice broke low, German slipping out, words tangled in groans as he pressed Max down, holding him flush until his knot swelled fully and burst inside him.
Max sobbed, the feeling of Nico’s release flooding him unbearable. He clawed at Lewis’s chest, shaking his head, choking on the sound. “Too much, too much—”
“Not too much,” Lewis whispered firmly, kissing the tears from the corner of Max’s eye. “You can take it. You are taking it. Look at you, my beautiful boy.”
Then Lewis was gone—his rhythm breaking, his own knot catching deep as he pulled Max down hard on his cock. The heat flooded Max’s belly, slick mixing with both alphas’ cum until it spilled from him in obscene streams, dripping down his thighs, soaking Lewis’s stomach.
Max screamed again, collapsing fully against Lewis, nothing holding him up now. His body trembled, every muscle quivering while the warmth just kept spilling, knot-locked and leaking until he was drenched.
Nico’s hand stroked down his spine, sweat-slick and shaking as well, but his voice softened. “So full of us. You did it, Maxie. You’re perfect.”
Lewis kept whispering to him, rubbing gentle circles between his shoulder blades, grounding him even while Max’s body clenched around their knots, milking every drop until it overflowed.
“Good boy,” Lewis murmured, kissing his damp hairline. “You’ve got us both. Dripping, messy, but ours.”
Max was still crying, his body limp between them, the wet sounds obscene every time he clenched by instinct. Their knots kept him pinned—Lewis under him, Nico still pressed tight to his back, both of them filling him so deep he could barely breathe.
Lewis stroked his damp hair back, pressing kisses to his temple. “Easy, love. Just breathe for me.”
Nico’s hand rubbed gently down his side, thumb brushing the ridge of his hip. “You’re fine, Maxie. You’re safe.”
But Max shook his head, a broken sob spilling out of him. His hands clutched at Lewis’s chest like he might slip away. “I—I need—” His voice cracked, and he swallowed hard, throat raw from crying. “Can we… can we talk? After this?”
Lewis stilled, his breath catching against Max’s ear.
“Talk?” Nico asked softly, though there was a flicker of tension in his tone, a question behind it.
Max nodded, small and jerky. His cheeks were wet, nose pressed to Lewis’s throat, and still his voice came, fragile but determined: “Something serious. Please. Promise me.”
Lewis’s hand cupped the back of his head, holding him steady. “Of course, baby. We’ll talk. Whatever you need.”
Nico leaned in, his lips brushing Max’s shoulder as if he couldn’t not touch him. “Ja. After. We promise.”
Max hiccupped on another sob, but some of the tremor in his body softened at their words. Still trapped, still unbearably full, but no longer afraid they’d brush him off.
He whispered again, quieter this time: “Promise…”
“Promise,” both alphas echoed, holding him close while their knots kept him sealed and leaking.
The knots had gone down eventually, leaving Max shaky and sore. They’d been gentle, wiping him down, guiding him through the shower when his legs wouldn’t quite hold, Nico’s palm steady at his spine while Lewis shampooed his hair like he was made of glass.
Now he was propped against the hotel pillows, still damp, still pink around the eyes. Dressed in the stupid shirt he always packed—oversized, faded, some ugly sponsor logo from 2014. Lewis had teased him for it before, Nico had rolled his eyes. But it was always the one Max reached for when he needed comfort.
Lewis sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed, quiet for once, while Nico perched on the edge beside Max, a hand over his knee like an anchor.
“You wanted to talk,” Nico said softly. No teasing, no edge. Just direct.
Max looked down at his hands, twisting the hem of his stupid shirt. His throat bobbed. “I… I can’t keep doing this if you two don’t…” He broke off, frustrated with himself, shaking his head. “If you don’t get along except when it’s—” He gestured vaguely at the bed, face hot. “This.”
Lewis exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “Max—”
“No, listen,” Max pressed, voice cracking again. “I like you both. I need you both. But I’m not your… your warzone. You can’t just pull me between you until I break and then act like it’s fine.”
The room went quiet. Nico’s jaw tightened, and Lewis’s eyes dropped.
“Either you figure out how to work together,” Max whispered, fingers twisting harder into the shirt, “or I can’t. I’ll walk away.” His voice shook, but he said it anyway. “I have to.”
Nico’s hand tightened on his knee, not possessive—pleading. “Maxie—”
Lewis finally lifted his gaze, steady but pained. “He’s right.”
For the first time in years, Nico didn’t argue. He just sat there, breathing slow, like the weight of it was finally sinking in.
Max curled in on himself, muttering bitterly into the fabric of his shirt: “Told you it was serious.”
Max’s words still hung in the air, heavy and bitter. He pulled the hem of his shirt up over his mouth like he could hide from the silence, from the weight of Lewis’s agreement, from Nico’s unreadable stare.
Then Nico’s fingers twitched on his knee, and before he could stop himself, it spilled out.
“I’m retiring.”
The words snapped the air taut.
Max’s head jerked up, eyes wide, red-rimmed and wet. “What?”
Nico’s throat worked, jaw clenching. “This season. End of the year.” He let out a sharp breath, as though it burned coming out. “Toto wouldn’t give me more than one year, and nobody else—” His voice cracked, and he shut his eyes, shaking his head. “There’s no contract. I’m done.”
Lewis sat forward sharply. “You—you never said—”
“What’s the point?” Nico cut back, almost a snarl, though it shook too much to land cruel. “It’s already decided. My career is over, Lewis. The only thing I had, the only thing I built…” He trailed, hand dragging roughly over his face. “It’s gone.”
Max was frozen, the fabric of his shirt twisted tight in his fists. His mouth opened, closed, opened again, and when he finally got words out, they were small. “Why didn’t you—tell us?”
Nico laughed, brittle. “Tell you what? That I failed? That I can’t win this fight anymore? That it’s you next, Max, and I’ll just be… irrelevant?” His hands curled into fists, digging into his knees. “I couldn’t.”
Lewis reached across the bed, slow but deliberate, hand pressing over Nico’s knuckles before the man could yank away. “You’re not irrelevant.”
Nico’s breath shuddered, but he didn’t pull back. His eyes darted to Max, who was staring at him like the ground had fallen away beneath him.
“You were supposed to be honest,” Max whispered. His chest heaved, words trembling out. “Both of you. That was the whole fucking point.”
Nico’s lip pressed white between his teeth, but he didn’t deny it. Couldn’t.
Max’s throat clicked when he swallowed. For a second, he thought maybe he could bluff it out, make some dumb comment about how boring the grid would be without Nico, how he’d miss tormenting him every Sunday. But the words never made it to his mouth.
Instead, what came out was small. Broken.
“…so that’s it?”
Nico’s eyes flicked up at him, sharp and guilty all at once.
Max’s hands curled tighter in his shirt, knuckles white. “You’re just—gone? No more racing, no more—no more us?” His voice cracked so high it almost wasn’t his. “That’s what it means, isn’t it? You retire and then you leave me. Both of you leave me.”
“Max,” Lewis said softly, leaning forward like he wanted to catch the boy’s wrists.
Max shook his head hard, hair sticking to his damp cheeks. “No. Don’t—don’t say my name like that. Like it’s fine. Like I’ll be fine.” His gaze darted from one alpha to the other, wild and wet. “Do you have any idea what it feels like? To finally—finally have alphas who want me, who don’t just treat me like some fucking trophy—and then you…”
His voice dropped, cracking again. “…you take it away.”
Nico flinched like he’d been slapped, but he didn’t argue. He just sat there, hollowed out, while Lewis finally slid a hand over Max’s shoulder, grounding him.
“We’re not done,” Lewis murmured. Firm. Certain.
Max blinked at him, chest heaving. “But he said—”
“I don’t care what he said,” Lewis cut in, steel beneath the gentleness. “Careers end. Contracts end. But us? That doesn’t have to.”
Nico’s breath hitched. For the first time all night, his hand twitched forward, fingers brushing Max’s knee like a question.
Max stared down at it, lip trembling, and whispered, “Then prove it.”
The silence hung like smoke, thick and suffocating. Lewis’s hand was still warm on his shoulder, Nico’s fingers ghosting at his knee — and it just wasn’t enough. Not when his chest was splitting open with the thought of them walking away.
Max’s mouth moved before his brain could catch up.
“Then bite me.”
Both alphas froze.
Max’s breathing hitched. His eyes were wild, rimmed in red, his cheeks blotchy with the tears he hadn’t wiped away. “Do it,” he pressed, voice breaking. “If you’re not leaving, then prove it. Mate me. Both of you. Right now.”
“Max…” Nico’s voice cracked on his name, sharp with alarm.
“No!” Max shot back, his fists slamming into his own thighs. “Don’t ‘Max’ me. Don’t—you can’t just say it doesn’t end and then expect me to believe it. If you mean it, if you’re serious, then—” His chest heaved, lips trembling. “Bond me. Make it real.”
Lewis’s jaw clenched, his gaze darting to Nico. Something raw and unspoken passed between them. The air practically thrummed with the weight of it, three heartbeats tripping over each other.
Finally, Lewis spoke, voice low, steady. “You don’t ask for that because you’re afraid, baby. That bond… it’s forever.”
Max shook his head violently, curls sticking to his wet skin. “Good. Then forever. I’d rather that than—than losing you. I’d rather you ruin me than walk away.”
His words landed like a slap. Nico’s throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, his hand curling into a fist against his knee to stop it from shaking.
Lewis exhaled slow, deliberate, like he was keeping himself from shattering too. Then, gently, he cupped Max’s chin, tilting it up so he had no choice but to meet his eyes.
“You really want that?”
Max’s lower lip quivered, but he nodded. “Please.”
Max’s “please” hung in the air like the toll of a bell.
Nico was the one to break first, dragging both hands down his face, muttering a curse under his breath. “Scheiße, Maxie… you don’t even know what you’re asking.” His voice cracked like glass, and it made Max’s stomach twist.
“I do,” Max shot back, sharper than he meant. Then softer, his throat tightening, “I do. I know what it means.”
Lewis’s thumb brushed across his wet cheek, patient, steady, but his dark eyes burned. “You think we can just—mark you here, in some hotel room, because you’re scared we’ll leave? Baby, that’s not what a bond deserves.”
Max’s jaw trembled. His hands had found their way to Lewis’s shirt, clutching like he was already drowning. “I don’t care. I’d rather a shitty bond than nothing.”
Nico swore again, but this time he leaned forward, pressing his forehead to the back of Max’s head, as if his body couldn’t stop reaching even while his mind screamed to slow down. “Idiot,” he whispered against Max’s curls, voice breaking. “You think either of us could walk away from you? Even without a bite?”
Lewis’s breath stuttered, his restraint cracking. “Fuck…” His hand slid from Max’s cheek to the side of his throat, not squeezing, just feeling the frantic pulse beneath his skin. His mouth hovered close enough that Max could feel the heat of it, the scrape of his teeth just shy of breaking.
“Say it again,” Lewis rasped, low and dangerous, almost daring. “You want me to bond you?”
Max nodded, feverish, eyes blown wide. “Yes. Please. Both of you. I need it.”
For a long moment, neither alpha moved. Their scents curled thick around him, sharp pine and clean smoke, ozone and steel. It made his head spin, his body shiver with want.
Then Lewis glanced at Nico over Max’s shoulder. Their eyes locked — all the years of rivalry, of betrayal, of wanting and hurting, condensed into a single breath. And somehow, some way, they found the same answer.
Lewis’s teeth grazed Max’s skin, sharp enough that Max gasped. Nico’s grip closed around Max’s hips, anchoring him, trembling with the weight of it.
“Forever, Maxie,” Nico whispered, voice wrecked. “Don’t you dare regret it.”
Lewis’s bite broke skin clean and sharp, the sting blooming into something molten as Max arched against him. A strangled cry ripped from his throat, and for a dizzy moment he thought he might black out — then the bond slammed into him.
It wasn’t gentle. It was all of them at once: Lewis’s thunderstorm scent punching through him, Nico’s sharper evergreen wrapping tight, the two threads tangling in his chest and dragging every nerve raw. His vision blurred, pupils blown wide until his irises were just rings of pale blue, trembling and wet.
Blood dripped warm down his collarbone where Lewis pulled back, mouth wet, lips shining crimson. Max swore he saw his own heartbeat in the hollow of his chest.
“Scheiße,” Nico rasped, his own control gone, his breath shuddering against Max’s ear. He pressed closer, one hand guiding Max’s jaw to the side, exposing the vulnerable line of his throat opposite Lewis’s mark. “Let me—please, Maxie, let me too.”
Max’s head lolled back, throat bared, his voice a wrecked whisper: “Yes. Please. Both of you. I want—need—”
Nico’s teeth sank in deeper, rougher than Lewis, his desperation spilling into the bond. Max sobbed with it, the pain sparking white-hot, immediately drowned under the crashing tide of belonging. His slicked skin shook as the second mark sealed into him, both bites dripping red onto his chest, mingling with sweat.
The air thickened, vibrating with the weight of two alphas staking their claim in him. Max trembled like a string pulled taut, body clenching down around nothing, his nerves singing.
And then it hit — the overwhelming flood of it. Love, hunger, pride, possession, fear of losing him — every buried emotion Lewis and Nico carried for him poured through the new threads of bond and crashed into Max until he was choking on it, crying against Lewis’s chest.
“Shhh,” Lewis whispered, though his own voice shook. “You’ve got us now, baby. Forever.”
Nico’s bloody mouth pressed to Max’s nape, soft and trembling. “Never letting you go.”
Max couldn’t answer, not really — only sob and gasp, pupils blown so wide his eyes looked black, his body slack between them as their scents locked around him, unbreakable.
Max lay heavy between them, marked and trembling, but finally drifting toward that sweet haze where his breaths evened out. Both bites were still angry and wet on his collarbones, the blood wiped away but the bruises already darkening. Nico’s hand skimmed gently over Max’s sternum, keeping him grounded, while Lewis tucked the blanket up higher, his chest rising and falling beneath Max’s weight.
For a while, there was only the sound of breathing. The bond threads hummed low and new — raw, tender, still weaving together.
Lewis was the one to break it, voice low:
“…We can’t keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
Nico stiffened, but didn’t move his hand. “On track?”
“Everywhere,” Lewis said, eyes on the ceiling. “Max just bound himself to both of us. He trusted us enough for that. If we drag this rivalry into it…” He trailed off, the wordless weight of we’ll break him hanging in the air.
Nico exhaled, long and shaky. “You think I don’t know that?” His thumb smoothed over Max’s sternum, like the motion might soothe himself too. “You think I haven’t been terrified of…of this? Of us tearing each other apart until there’s nothing left for him?”
Lewis finally looked at him. Tired, guarded, but open in a way Nico hadn’t seen in years. “We were supposed to have each other’s backs. Since we were kids, man. We knew each other before any of this, before F1, before the money and the titles. And somewhere in the middle of chasing all of it—” His voice caught, sharper than he meant. “I lost my best friend.”
Nico’s jaw flexed. For once, he didn’t snap back, didn’t reach for pride. “…I lost you too,” he admitted, barely above a whisper. “And I hated you for it. Hated that it felt like you didn’t need me anymore. Like I was just—what? An obstacle? A headline?”
The room went still, except for Max’s soft, even breaths, his face tucked against Lewis’s neck. The weight of decades pressed down — karting in wet fields, sneaking sodas behind garages, growing into men who forgot how to talk without turning it into war.
“We don’t have to be friends again,” Lewis said eventually, voice gentler. “But if we’re gonna do this—if we’re gonna keep him—” He shifted, brushing bloody curls back from Max’s forehead. “We can’t be enemies anymore. Not here.”
Nico’s eyes dropped to Max, the mess of fresh bites and damp lashes. His lips pressed together, then he nodded once. “Not here,” he echoed, firm enough to sound like a promise.
For the first time in years, Lewis reached out — hand crossing Max’s back to Nico’s shoulder, steady and real. Nico startled at the contact but didn’t pull away, only covered Lewis’s hand with his own, the three of them bound in a fragile, newly-forged circle.
Max stirred faintly in his half-sleep, whispering something incoherent, and both alphas hushed him at once — Nico’s German lilt, Lewis’s low rumble — overlapping, almost in sync.
For the first time in decades, they didn’t sound like rivals.