Archive of Our Own

Nearing the electronic doors, guarded by heavily armed men, Aron held up his id; the magic pass to let him go through any door. He’d been lucky enough to achieve a position like this, even if it was still far below the uptown folks. When the revolution had reached their city, he’d had nothing; not a dime to spend on food. Everything he had, was accomplished through hard work. He liked it that way, but he could’ve never done it on his own. He had a friend to thank for sticking with him through the good and the bad.

Sterile, metal corridors led him through to the experimental department of the company. It was a dark area, surrounded by cells. Most of them were empty but some of them held a creature he’d rather not lay eyes upon until doctor Decker told him it was safe to. The residents of those cells were genetically modified humans; people who didn’t exist until Decker gave them a name, a purpose and modifications to carry out their purpose. Some of them had never even been people in the first place. These humans were created as Beasts. Their traits were messed with until they reached a preferable combination to auction them off to anyone willing to pay. Slavery? No. Beasts were designed for this.

They lived for this and wore the name ‘Beast’ with pride.

Despite the stressful environment, it was still his favourite part of the company because this part meant business. Beasts were the greatest security measure a family uptown could have. They paid thousands of dollars for it.

Past the dark hallways lay a mess of a laboratory with genetic blueprints everywhere, computer opened on all sorts of pictures containing crystal structures of proteins and several loci of interesting genes. You’d think a laboratory would be far more sterile than its hallways, but it wasn’t. Decker’s lab was his beautiful chaos. His organized mess.

“Jay”, Aron nodded, earning a smirk in return from his friend. Jay stood in front of one of the cages, scribbling down several observations on the subject of interest. It was a female Beast but Jay had modified her strength to match one of the stronger male’s without losing her feminine figure. How he did it, was a mystery.

Jorel Decker had been by Aron’s side before the revolution even reached them and Aron would have never survived without him. Though Jay had been luckier when it came to reaching the higher position to introduce him to the good life. He had worked harder, studied harder and became a respected genetic engineer.

“Aron, is it time again?” The doctor didn’t even look up from his sheets. His head were always in his research, always busy working working working. Aron had to admit he might be a little bitter about that. It was part of the reason why they never saw each other outside of work anymore.

“It is. I’m here to see your new toys”, Aron replied, rubbing his hands together.

Jay hummed in disapproval. “I’d prefer if you didn’t refer to my beautiful creatures that way. I work very hard to make them top notch.”

“And I work very hard to sell them to the rich bastards”, Aron shrugged, holding up his hands in defence.

“I appreciate that”, Jay put away the paperwork of the female subject. “I didn’t get to spend much time on more Beasts since the last time you came by.”

“My last visit was several months ago. You usually produce a full batch in that time period. How come?” Aron asked, surprised, and slightly panicked about these unforeseen developments. If he didn’t deliver a new batch next week, the bosses would have both his and Jay’s head for it. “You do know about the auction, don’t you?”

“I do, I do. I’ve got something far better to offer this time”, Jay cryptically smiled. “Follow me.”

Aron bit his tongue not to say anything hurtful about Jay’s little episodes of experimentation that usually led to Aron having to disappoint the buyers and bullshit his way out of trouble. He was used to it by now. Not all of Jay’s ideas worked out for the better. While the Beasts had been Jay’s invention as well, Aron didn’t dare hope for another breakthrough for the sales.

Jay beckoned Aron to come closer and stepped into the messy, brightly lit lab. Aron was hesitant but the engineer rolled his eyes and grabbed his wrist to tug him closer. They halted before a particularly large cube of thick glass. It was big enough to fit several people in it. “This is the light of my life.”

Aron wasn’t sure whether to cry or laugh. Had Jay gone mad? “There’s nothing there. Just plants.”

The cube was nature themed with more greenery than you’d find in a hundred miles radius of the city. Some Beasts found it peaceful, calming even, while lesser genetic mods – people, not meant for auctioning – preferred living rooms and indoor places as a theme for their cell. A Beast still held on to its primal instincts after all.

“Step closer to the window”, Jay invited Aron. The older thought he might be missing something so he took a step closer to squint his eyes at the content of the glass cage. In the blink of an eye, something charged into the thickest glass and left a massive split in it. While the force hadn’t been enough to break through the substance, there was still an unmistakable crack in the window separating something from Aron. He fell back startled with a gasp. “What was that?”

Jay nearly bounced in excitement. “My beautiful new experiment. This cage is of the highest security measures we have and yet this Beast is able to crack the glass by charging at it.”

“It’s a Beast? I didn’t even see it!” Aron responded, still shook by an attack he hadn’t even been able to perceive.

Jay touched the glass wall like it would explain anything. By his hand contours took shape and colour in the form of a male adult. Designed to look like a 28 year-old, this Beast’s muscles were subtle curves under his tan skin despite the huge force they held. He clenched his sharp, bearded jaw. His blonde hair fell messy over his hazel eyes. He stretched to full height, leaning against the wall like he’d never charged for it in the first place. “Project D4N13L.”

Aron blinked at the Beast. He’d been invisible just moments ago.

“His name is Daniel”, Jay said with the pride of a mother, presenting her son.

“That’s a mundane name for a Beast”, Aron complained. “I prefer your flashier names to sell them.”

“Daniel is special”, Jay snapped with a persistence that nearly made Aron roll his eyes.

Daniel seemed to glare at him with blazing pupils, lower lip dented by the sharp canine teeth he’d been given.

“He can hear you”, Jay stated in awe. “He understands us, even in his feral phase. My amazing, purebred demon.”

Daniel’s eyes averted from Aron to his creator, fondness entering those hazel eyes.

“Why does he seem to like you?” Aron asked.

“I told you. Daniel is special”, Jay declared. “He’s not Brute, not a Rapid, not a Stealth. Not an existing class of Beast. He’s stronger, faster, uses invisibility to his advantage. He’s the future.”

Now that peaked Aron’s interest and would most likely interest the buyers as well. He leaned in. “How?”

Jay placed his hand on the lock of the cage. Aron grabbed his arm. “What the hell are you doing? He’ll kill us both!”

“That’s the problem with the Beasts, isn’t it? They don’t listen unless we punish them to listening with collars and pain impressions. If they disobey, they get electrocuted. It’s horrible. My creations have to endure this pain and obey”, Jay pouted before a wicked grin replaced it. “Not anymore.”

He pulled the lever despite Aron’s protests and freed Daniel from his confines. The Beast was eager to appear outside, sniffing the air of the lab and growling from deep inside his throat.

He was glaring at Aron and the salesman felt like his life could end any moment now. He thought of his husband, his sister and prayed to the non-existing God that it would be painless, but looking at those fangs, it seemed futile. The claws sticking from his fingers could slice through his skin like butter. He shuddered at the idea.

“Daniel, leave this man alone”, Jay requested. Something in the mind of the Beast seemed to click as he stepped back and seemed to lose interest in Aron. “Come to my side.”

Daniel did as he was instructed. The grin on Jay’s face only grew when Aron’s jaw dropped. “That’s enough, I believe. Back into the cage, please.”

Daniel ducked his head to step through the door of the cube and closed it behind him.

Aron blinked like he’d seen a ghost. “The Beast obeys you without establishing any type of punishment or rewarding system?”

Jay beamed at the comment. “Yes. He’s bonded to me.”

“Won’t that be an issue for any buyers? Or do you plan on making multiple like him?” Aron wondered, now finally returning to business as the initial shock wore off. Daniel could be a goldmine.

Jay shook his head. “My Golden Beast will be one of a kind. You can auction him off to the highest bidder as the sole example of the next generation Beasts. The resources are too depleted to mass produce Beasts like him at the moment but I’m hoping we can work towards mass producing obedient Beasts. The buyers will pay big money for a rare Beast. As for the bond; I can imprint the buyer into his mind and bond them too.”

“Multiple bonds? But how will he know who his true master in the family is?”

Jay chuckled. “He’ll pick one himself.”

***

“Terrell Senior would like to see you, sir”, Matt claimed after knocking on his employer’s door an appropriate amount of times. He barely had time to move away from the door before Jordon swung it open, looking like he had slept the morning away. “Quit calling me ‘sir’, Matt. I told you a million times that I’m not a fan of official shit like that.”

“Excuse me”, Matt apologized. “Jordon”, he quickly added when Jordon squinted his eyes at him. “Tell my dad to go fuck himself.”

“Language, Jordon!” Mrs. Terrell scolded when she entered the corridor to come fetch Jordon herself. He never seemed to listen to Matt because Matt had always been a good friend and Jordon was such a stubborn young man sometimes. His mother had hoped he’d grow into an appropriate heir to the family name one day but even at the age of 25, he was still such a brat sometimes. “We would like to implement a change in the family and since you’re a part of this family, still”, she paused when Jordon made a face at the comment to mutter “Am I?”.

“your father wants you present”, she continued.

Jordon sighed. “I will be there, mother.”

He’d never give a rude reply to his mother. His mother had always been good to him, had always been herself despite the revolution granting their company immense success and wealth for his family too. His father had changed and Jordon still didn’t know how to cope with it, despite living post-revolution for most his life and barely remembering the life he’d had before. He winked at Matt who looked away embarrassed before heading downstairs to see what daddy Terrell wanted of him this time. With a house big enough to get lost in, Jordon couldn’t decide where to look for his father first. He walked down the oak carved stairs into the ginormous hall, leading to the front door. Jordon couldn’t help but whistle to hear the echo carry through the hall. Besides the hall, he checked the living room. The leather couches seemed untouched and the flat-screen tv on the wall didn’t play his father’s favourite sports. Strolling through the living room at a pace that revealed how not-eager he was to meet his father, he continued to the kitchen. He didn’t see why his father would be there as they had plenty of servants running around and rushing to clean the remains of the breakfast his parents had had. Though, he could’ve been scolding some poor maid about his coffee being too sweet – he did that sometimes.

Taking a left turn through the kitchen, Jordon found the empty dining room. Despite its name, it was used for all meals – except when they had guests over. Whenever daddy’s fancy guests would visit, they would suddenly dine in the other dining room on the right of the hall. Matt was cleaning up a final plate from breakfast. “Your father is in the study. Would it hurt you to have asked?”

Jordon stuck out his tongue like a 4-year-old, earning an eye roll from the servant as he turned his back to Jordon. “If you want to have breakfast, you’ll have to fetch some yourself, Jordon.”

“I’m good!” Jordon called out after him before leaving the dining room through the right door and heading back upstairs. On the right was his own bedroom while his parents’ bedroom was at the end of the hallway. The other door belonged to endless of guest rooms for the servants and possible guests staying over obviously. The study, however, was around the corner on the left. He spotted his father there with the family doctor by his side and squinted his eyes, already bracing himself for some bullshit. His father sat at his large desk and the family doctor stood on the other side by a seat. What? Was he dying? God, Jordon felt nearly guilty for smirking at the idea. “You wanted to see me?”

He had wanted to add ‘your majesty’ but he wasn’t in the mood to pick a fight with his dad right now.

“Yes, have a seat, Jordon”, Terrell Senior spoke far too friendly, gesturing at the seat in front of him. The study was his father’s favourite spot to do some post-hours work with a coffee to keep him awake. It was usually a mess of stacked files but it seemed to be cleaned for today, neatly archived in the cabinets by the wall. The curtains were drawn open for once. You’d nearly forget light could even reach the dark study. Jordon didn’t like where this was going when the doctor stepped closer to that seat but he sat down anyway.

“We’ll need a blood sample so roll up your sleeve, would you kindly?” the man requested with a friendly smile. Jordon furrowed his eyebrows but did as he was told. The doctor rubbed some strong-scented, volatile substance on his arm before stabbing the needle into his veins to draw the blood. Jordon preferred not to look but he always felt like drawing blood was something you could feel. Like sucking fluid out of him. He always found the family doctor seemed to play darts with the syringes too. The crazy old man had way too much fun piercing someone’s veins.

He kept his eyes on his father, while the doctor wrapped up the blood draw. “Mother mentioned there would be a change in our situation. What gives?”

“You’re friends with Senior Alvarez’ boy, right?”

Jordon nodded hesitantly, caught off-guard by the sudden question and the fact his father knew something about him. “Dylan, yes.”

“You must be aware of their security measure”, his father mentioned and Jordon tried to think of what it meant. Security measure? Oh! “You’re talking about Johnny, aren’t you?”

“Am I? I don’t know the name of their Beast”, father Terrell replied, waving it off dismissively.

Jordon bit down hard on the inside of his cheek and nodded. “That’s his name, yeah.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

Typical for his father to cast aside the name of someone he didn’t care about. Jordon folded his arms, a thing he seemed to do a lot whenever his father would talk to him. “So?”

“I’m attending the auction of the Golden Beast next Saturday. All buyers need to submit a blood sample”, Mr. Terrell beckoned for the doctor to leave them alone and the man did as he was asked.

“But I’m not a buyer”, Jordon argued, sensing the next step in the conversation.

“No, but I want to ask you to accompany me on this trip, son”, Terrell Senior requested.

It made Jordon’s skin crawl when he emphasized the ‘son’. It’s something his father would do whenever Jordon had to behave like a true heir or act less like just Jordon. “Why?”

His father seemed to carefully pick his words. “I’m getting older. The family business will be yours in the future so it would do no harm to let you get used to other people of our social class at the auction.”

“Ah, I figured you didn’t want me there for my judgment on which slave to get”, Jordon bit. “Just oughta show my face to the rich bastards to make sure the Terrell family name won’t go to hell when you kick the bucket.”

“Jordon”, his father warned him. “These Beasts aren’t slaves. They’re born to do this.”

“Just like me, huh? Born to do this. I don’t wanna go”, Jordon called out.

“You’re going”, his father raised his voice. “You don’t have a say in this.”

“Then why’d you want to see me in the first place?” Jordon scoffed. “What if I don’t go?”

“Then I will make sure you’re not allowed to ‘hang out’ with the Alvarez kid anymore. Family wars can get feisty”, Terrell Senior threatened, effectively shutting up his son. Jordon sighed and got up from his chair. “I’ll go.”

“And you’ll behave.”

“Like a good heir”, the younger bowed before rolling his eyes and leaving the study.

Luckily his father didn’t add anything to that statement anymore but he knew for sure his mother would scold him for being rude later. Father always complained about Jordon’s behaviour to his mother and she didn’t like it. Said it ruined their evenings sometimes. She only said that to guilt trip him into listening to his father.

His parents expected him to return to his room and continue to ignore Matt for the next hours, but Jordon wouldn’t ignore Matt. Jordon would simply not be in his room. He locked the bedroom door behind him and snuck out the window. His bedroom was on the first story so it wasn’t hard to reach the pebble ground, surrounding the house, safely. His room was on the side of the mansion so he walked towards the driveway, looking out for his parents. Though, he spotted Matt shaking his head by the window upstairs. It was only Matt so it was fine. The man covered for Jordon way too much. Jordon reached for his pocket and pulled out his phone to send out a quick text message.

JT: Unlock your window. Papa Terrell had the best idea. Sarcasm.

Dylan; Make sure Johnny doesn’t spot you

Jordon shuddered at the idea. Last time he went to the Alvarez house unannounced and climbed to Dylan’s window. Johnny spotted him, thinking he was an intruder and fucking tackled him. Jordon fell off the wall to the grass in their garden. If it had been concrete, he could’ve been dead. Johnny hadn’t apologized. He said he only did what he deemed necessary to protect them.

Of course he did. Not protecting the Alvarez family would result into him getting electrocuted again and no Beast wanted that treatment. Reaching the mansion of the Alvarez family, Jordon checked twice whether or not Johnny was around before climbing the window at the back and even when he did, he was frantically looking around to catch a glimpse of the Brute.

Jordon was more than welcome to the family to come by whenever he wanted; Dylan’s parents were totally chill about their wealthy situation but Jordon didn’t want to leave any evidence that he’d been at Dylan’s place instead of in his room. It would destroy the whole purpose of sneaking out of his own house to avoid confrontation. His dad didn’t like it that Jordon would spend more time at Dylan’s than at their house. His mother thought it was fine. She was just happy Jordon had a best friend in the first place.

The window was open and allowed Jordon to head inside, finding Dylan on his bed. The younger was studying some wrestling mask his dad must’ve gotten him. He had been collecting different kinds for a while now. “Yo, Jordon, what’s up?”

Jordon stumbled upright after entering. “Get this. Dad wants to get us a Beast.”

“Awesome! Finally”, Dylan called out, raising his hand and expecting a high five but Jordon only stared at him blankly. “That’s not a good thing! They’re slaves.”

“Not really. More like bodyguards. They were created for a purpose and carry out said purpose. It makes them happy”, Dylan shrugged.

Jordon grumbled under his breath. “It makes them happy because you stop hurting them when they obey.”

“We haven’t hurt Johnny in ages. We reward him nowadays. We just give him shit he likes when he obeys us”, Dylan grinned. “I like to tease him a bit before giving him shit he wants.”

“So you’ve made your slave into a sex slave, nice Dylan”, Jordon shook his head.

The Mexican cringed. “Don’t put it that way. I haven’t done any of that. He’s a Brute class Beast. He’d probably kill me by accident with his strength.”

“Probably”, Jordon mused. “Dad wants me to accompany him to the auction so I can meet his rich friends. Gotta spread my name if I wanna take over the family business, right?”

He spoke with so much venom Dylan chuckled. “At least you get to help him pick the right Beast.”

“True”, Jordon agreed with pursed lips. “What’s with the name of the auction though? The Golden Beast auction?”

Dylan put away the mask and jumped upright in enthusiasm. “You’re going to the Golden Beast auction?!”

“What? What’s so special about it?” Jordon asked, taking a step back from his excited friend.

The younger dropped his jaw, looking like Jordon could be struck by lightning for asking. “Dude. The Golden Beast is a next generation Beast. It’s a male and he’s faster, stronger, smarter and better than any Beast on Earth. They’re only selling one example of its kind. My parents are going too! Out of curiosity though. We already have Johnny.”

“Great. It’s gonna be a bunch of dudes playing ‘who’s the richest?’. So stupid”, Jordon muttered.

Dylan smirked. “At least you’ll be getting what you want.”

Jordon raised an eyebrow. “Which is?”

“You won’t have to hurt the beast”, the younger mentioned, still hopping very excitedly.

“How so?”

“The next generation bonds with its owner and the Beast obeys the people he’s bonded to.”

Jordon blinked. “That explains the admission of blood samples.”

“You have no idea how awesome this new Beast is. You have to let me come by if you guys get it”, Dylan nearly bounced, eyes big in admiration.

“You’re acting like he’s a new gaming console”, Jordon bitterly replied but he had to admit he was intrigued by the new class that would obey without inflicting pain. It made the Beast a little less human and a little more household furniture. Like a dishwasher.

***

Jordon was sweating and the more he sweat, the more nervous he got about soiling his perfect suit. Though the more nervous he got, the more he’d sweat so there was really no winning that situation. The auction was at the biggest Hall in LA which already stated the importance of this particular Beast. Chairs were placed throughout the entire Hall with a stage in the front. The chairs were divided into two parts. It nearly looked like an aisle at a wedding. He’d put up with the introductions to his father’s friends. He had smiled politely, behaved like the perfect heir of the Terrell name. He could see the smugness on his dad’s face with every word he spoke. His father’s face just screamed a smug “see? This isn’t so bad” but Jordon thought the act was just plain exhausting.

He nearly jumped for joy when the auction was about to start. The sooner it started, the sooner it would end. Jordon took a seat with his father on the second row, getting the best view of the stage. The first row had to crane their neck to look up and see what went down on stage so the second one had the best of views. The rows of people went to the far back and some people even had to stand. Terrell Senior would’ve gone berserk if he’d had to stand at an auction. The crowd excitedly chatted away, dying to see the Golden Beast. His father proudly held the sign to bid. “This is it, Jordon. THE beast of Beasts. We have to take it home.”

“I’m sure it’s a ‘him’”, Jordon softly corrected but his father hadn’t heard so he stared at the stage instead.

The lights dimmed, the crowd turned quiet and a considerably lanky man took the stage, microphone in hand. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. You all know why you’re here and I bet you’re all excited to see the latest innovation in the field of genetic engineering. I will not keep you waiting.”

The man – my father told me his name was Aron – called for Dr. Decker to join him on stage. “Something you don’t know yet, is that the Beast is already amongst us. Yes, he roams free in this room.”

The crowd responded unsettled, whispers of danger spreading and paranoid eyes skimming the room for a possible primal creature. New Beasts were never as civilized as humans and needed strict training to become less… animalistic.

“Though you won’t find him. The Golden Beast is civil and a master of stealth and deception. He knows how to fit in. As you’ve heard, this Beast is a male that goes by the experimental name of D4N13L, or its given name; Daniel.”

“Daniel”, Dr. Decker called out into the crowd.

Jordon craned his neck to look to the back where the mass’ clamour seemed to increase and noticed a figure responding to Dr. Decker. The creature appeared out of thin air. He was invisible. The young man was dressed to the occasion in a dark blue suit, blonde hair tussled, hazel eyes ablaze as he sped to the front of the room. He was on stage in less than a second, sight blurred as he couldn’t be perceived at that speed. He bared his sharp teeth in a platinum smile. This Beast was breath-taking. He looked like a fallen angel with his ethereal beauty and demonic manner.

Aron offered the crowd his salesman’s smile. “Daniel doesn’t need a flashy Beast name. He makes up for it in performance. He’s faster than any Beast you know.”

Daniel stood by Decker’s side, taking in the crowd. “Right now, he’s scanning you. He’s memorizing your faces. If one of you makes even the slightest of move towards doctor Decker, Daniel will take you out before you could even think of harming his master.”

Decker tapped Daniel’s spine to fix his posture. The Beast straightened his back and to full height, his muscles were apparent under the fabric of his clothes. He was large. Though there was a nervous tic in his eyes, like he wasn’t sure what to do with himself when he didn’t have to perform any tasks.

“Have any of you brought a Brute class Beast?” Aron asked.

A hand in the crowd raised and Jordon recognized mr. and mrs. Alvarez. Dylan hadn’t been allowed to come so he’d been jealous of Jordon. He could see Johnny stand beside mr. Alvarez with folded arms. Aron gestured for the Beast to come to stage. Though hesitant, Johnny was sent to join them on stage. Of course Aron knew exactly who the Beast was. You don’t exactly forget the Brute with the “3” in his neck. Johnny didn’t look pleased to see them again, as he’d most likely been electrocuted into putting up a show at his own auction.

The crowd was quiet, curious to see what would happen next.

“Johnny. Daniel would like to harm the family. You must protect them”, Aron said. Johnny’s confused gaze turned into a maddening scowl to Daniel. The Golden Beast set his jaw, taking a stance to fend off Johnny when Decker said: “Daniel. Take out Johnny.”

Daniel’s eyes flickered before he charged at the Brute. Johnny lunged at him to break his speed but Daniel dodged and tackled Johnny with an unseen force. Though the Brute was twice his size, he stumbled and fell. Taking the opportunity to attack, Daniel jumped on top of Johnny, claws held high when Decker shouted: “Stop!”

Daniel let his claw remain in the air, eyes fixated on Johnny. “Let Johnny go.”

Johnny scurried away from Daniel, back to the Alvarez family with his pride dented. It was beyond pathetic to see the strong being walk the aisle with his head ducked. Daniel seemed to take cold comfort in it when he returned to Decker’s side.

“That’s right. Daniel is stronger than any other Beast. Even a Brute. Though how does he listen so well to doctor Decker without the usual electricity involved in training a Beast?”

Jordon had to admit he was amazed by the show. They sure knew how to sell a Beast. It was both amazing and disgusting. Though he knew how strong Johnny was and to see Daniel take him down with such ease, had been… amazing. If they had to get a Beast, then let it be one like Daniel.

“Daniel is bonded to our dear doctor. It means Daniel is incapable of hurting him and sees him as his owner. No need to hurt the Beast for disobeying because your wish is literally his command to carry out.”

Dylan hadn’t been lying. No punishment needed for this Beast.

“Needless to say, this Beast is THE future of security measures. Unfortunately our current resources only allow one example of his kind so far. While the company plans on producing many, many more in the future, Daniel will remain the only one of his kind for several years.”

Again, the mass whispered excitedly like kids in the candy shop. Everyone wanted Daniel. Everyone wanted a show pony to show their wealth off to the other families.

“But let’s get to the best part; the bidding starts at 500k.”

“What an amazing creature, isn’t it?” Terrell Senior said. Jordon elbowed his father. “Dad, your sign.”

“I know, Jordon. Be patient. We must wait so we don’t seem too eager to get it. People are feisty when they know you want something badly. They’ll do anything to rip it away from you so you must not ‘care’ about it.”

Jordon nodded. While his father was an immense asshole, he knew everything about manipulating people into getting what he wanted.

Several signs flew up in the air, the bidding going at full speed as everyone wanted to place their bids. His father jumped in around two million, losing it to a few other people but most of the masses had already declined by the time they reached three million. A Beast had never reached such a high price. One of his dad’s friends had placed the highest bid and mr. Terrell wasn’t responding to it. “Going once.”

Jordon turned to his father. “No! We must get him!”

“You want this Beast?” his father responded surprised. “I thought you didn’t want one.”

“Going twice.”

“I want this one!” Jordon hissed, a little too eager. “If we have to get one at all.”

His father smirked, holding up his sign. “Four million.”

Echoes of amazement carried through the Hall but the other party didn’t raise their sign anymore. If they had to get a Beast, Jordon wanted Daniel. His father would’ve only dragged him to the next auction anyway. That’s what he told himself, at least.

When he heard “SOLD!”, he was more relieved than he liked to admit. Having won, the crowd applauded and shook his father’s hand here and there while most of them left through the back. The event was over. Now all they had to survive, was the reception. Jordon was already following the mass when his father called for him. “Jordon, this way.”

He turned around and followed to the stage where his father shook the hand of Aron and doctor Decker. “Congratulations on your purchase, sir.”

“Thank you”, Terrell Senior nodded when Jordon caught up with him. His father put an arm around him. “This is my son. His blood sample was admitted as well.”

Aron left them alone as his job was fulfilled. The payment would be completed within the next days.

“So Daniel will have three owners? Your son, your wife and you?” Decker asked, writing down the names.

Mr. Terrell nodded. “Yes.”

Jordon turned his head to his father. “What about Matt?”

His father rolled his eyes but Decker leaned in. “And who’s that?”

“One of our workers”, Terrell Senior hushed his son. “He will not be an owner. Daniel will obey us and won’t harm the staff.”

Decker hummed in agreement. “That’s true. Daniel will not harm anyone that’s not a threat to his owners. The bond will be implemented on him and I will ask you to visit for an initial meeting with him so that he can grow accustomed to the new feeling. Being an owner to him, is everything and he will obey you but he’ll pick a true master amongst his owners. I can’t change that about him.”

“What happens if he picks a master in the owners?” Jordon asked, curious.

Decker shrugged. “He’ll be more likely to obey the master than the owner if the commands contradict each other.”

“I’ll be his master then”, Terrell Senior spoke but Decker shook his head with a tight expression of subtle annoyance. “Daniel picks his master.”

“He’ll pick me”, father emphasized and Jordon felt the need to apologize on his father’s behalf to the genetic engineer.

***

The first time meeting Daniel was supposed to be in the lab. Daniel knew the lab and keeping him there, would keep him in his comfort zone while meeting his new owners. The second time would be in the mansion of the Terrell family so he could get used to the new environment.

The third time would be the time Daniel would go home with the family and stay with them. These three appointments were carefully planned by doctor Decker to ensure the safety of the family, should something go wrong.

Matt would take care of the house while Jordon and his parents would meet Daniel for the first time. Jordon was curious but still very hesitant to the whole Beast-thing. Even as he stood in the lab.

The place was tidy and clean. Decker’s boss probably made him clean it up since they expected visitors from uptown. Or they wanted to hide classified information from the outer world. Both were very plausible explanations.

“Daniel’s in a cage. I will bring you by one by one to meet him in person and release him from the cage. He will recognize you but it may take a few seconds for it to click. Don’t command him to do anything. He’s not ready for it.”

Decker beckoned Jordon to follow him. The young man frowned. “Me first? Not my father?”

“No, you first. Come.”

He looked back to his father who raised an eyebrow and followed to round the corner inside the lab. In his glass cube, stood Daniel. The cracked window had been replaced already. He was as beautiful as Jordon remembered, though he wasn’t wearing the suit anymore. He wore black pants and a dark red hoodie. “Does he always wear normal clothes? He looks like one of us.”

“He’s supposed to look like us but he usually wears less clothes. They confine him in his movement but I found it fitting to make him look harmless. Some people get scared when they meet a powerful Beast for the first time. He’s different than he was at the auction too. As Beasts grow, they take on a personality of their own and lose the ferocity until a threat is imminent”, Decker explained. The doctor was about Jordon’s age, maybe a little older but not much. Curious. Jordon could’ve been the one to invent Beasts if he had studied for it but he worked to take over from his father and do fucking better than his father to beat him at his own game.

Daniel pressed his hands against the glass, staring at the pair. Jordon was about to ask something else but Decker hushed him. “Daniel recognizes you.”

Jordon stared at the window, looking at the Beast. “Hey there.”

Something shone in Daniel’s eyes and Decker unlocked the door to the cage. “Good.”

The Beast stuck left the cage to stand in front of Jordon.

“You may ask things”, Decker whispered, nudging the younger with his elbow into stepping forward.

“Do you recognize me?” Jordon asked, not knowing what else to do.

Daniel nodded, an insecurity in his eyes. “Of course, I do. You’re Jordon.”

Decker scribbled a few things down. These findings could be important for future production of an obedient Beast.

“How are you?” Jordon muttered, watching every carefully choreographed move Daniel made. The beast cocked his head. “I’m alright, I guess.”

He hadn’t been taught to ask how the other person was doing when asked ‘how are you’ and it was unsettling. How could something so human not know human customs?

“You’re Daniel”, Jordon stated, obviously, but he wondered if the Beast perceived the word as his own name.

Daniel revealed his teeth in a genuine smile. “It’s my given name but I will respond to anything you’d like to call me.”

Decker’s eyebrows flew up in surprise. “Very good! Daniel, please return to the cage.”

Daniel blinked at the command and turned his head back to Jordon but obeyed anyway. He seemed like he were sulking in his cage when he did.

Decker shook his head. “I can’t believe it. He was ready to obey you already.”

“That’s good, right?” Jordon wondered.

“Definitely!”

He returned to his parents and waited while they each went to see their new Beast. Decker briefed them on a few things they’d have to take into account during the first couple of weeks but he said things were looking up. They might not need a third appointment. The second time would be the time Daniel stayed with them already. The doctor had their phone numbers so he could contact them, should there be any issues.

Once they were home again, Matt informed Jordon that Dylan was awaiting his arrival in the living room. Jordon should’ve known Dylan would’ve wanted to hear everything about it. They hadn’t seen each other since Jordon told him about going to the auction in the first place. Dylan had been through a busy week.

Jordon jumped on the couch where Dylan was waiting, startling the younger. “What’s up, homie?”

“What’s up?!” Dylan repeated, agitated. “I wanna hear about the Beast, dude! My parents said he body slammed Johnny!”

“He did”, Jordon grinned. “It was pretty cool. Daniel’s pretty cool. We’re still in the initial bonding stadium. He’s handsome as fuck-…”

Jordon didn’t realize what he had said until Dylan blinked confused at him. “Jordon, you’re getting a Beast for protection, not for a good fuck.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, but I still have to stare at his head all day, right?” Jordon shrugged. “I might as well have a hot guy while I’m at it.”

“Your dad would never approve.”

“My dad bought me Daniel so I don’t give a crap. If his idea ends up spiting him, fucking awesome”, Jordon laughed. “But seriously, doctor Decker said Daniel’s already strongly connected to me and thinks we might not even need the third appointment. He’ll just come to us on the second appointment.”

“When’s that?” Dylan asked.

Jordon hummed. “Sunday, I think?”

“Alright. Leave your window unlocked next week so I can check him out.”

“You’re awful”, Jordon shook his head. “My dad’s convinced Daniel’s gonna pick him as his true master.”

Dylan cocked his head confused and Jordon realized his younger friend didn’t know about this. “Decker said Daniel will pick a true master amongst his owners.”

“Won’t he just… pick his creator?”

“Probably, but my dad thinks it’ll be him.”

“Imagine he picks you”, Dylan grinned. “You’d have the upper hand over your dad.”

“Imagine”, Jordon chuckled. “Like hell that creature would pick me.”

***

Jordon furrowed his eyebrows when a call came in on his phone. His mother looked up in surprise but didn’t say anything when Jordon picked up. They were about to have lunch, getting the plates from their servants.

“Jordon speaking.”

“Good. It’s Decker”

“Oh, hi, doctor Decker”, Jordon said, eyeing his mother who quickly whisked a servant to fetch Terrell Senior. The servant left in a hurry. “W-…To what do I owe this call?”

Be formal. Decker is not your friend, Jordon thought. He wasn’t supposed to go “what’s up, dude?” though he almost did.

His father entered the room and his mother informed him of the situation. He took a seat and intently stared at Jordon to hear about it.

“If I remember correctly, Daniel was set to come to your family on Sunday, correct? Because it’s the only day both your parents and you will be home?”

“Yes, Daniel is supposed to come this Sunday”, Jordon repeated, making a face at his father because he had no idea if that was correct. His parents usually kept the agenda on when to go where but his parents nodded so he knew he was correct.

“Well, can it be any earlier?”

“Can it be any earlier?” Jordon asked aloud but his parents shook their head. “My parents can’t do it any earlier.”

“Can you?” Decker asked.

“Uh, yes”, Jordon replied. “I’m home on other days too.”

“Would your parents mind if I bring Daniel by when they’re absent then?”

Jordon asked the same question to his parents. His father was taken aback by the question and his mother shrugged but nodded in the end. “Why exactly?” his father whispered.

Jordon asked the same to Decker. The doctor sighed. “It’s best for Daniel”

“Oh, well, yeah, I can be home earlier than Sunday then.”

“Great. Tomorrow?”

“Sure!”

“Alright. We’ll discuss the details. Thank you, mr. Terrell.”

The doctor hung up and Jordon could see his father’s dismay. “You don’t say ‘yeah’ on an official occasion. Or ‘sure’.”

“Sorry, I didn’t realize I said that”, Jordon mused but he wasn’t really sorry. He just said what his father wanted to hear. “Daniel’s coming tomorrow. It’s best for him, he said.”

“Good. The bond must be strong”, Terrell Senior concluded satisfied with the developments.

“Must be”, Jordon repeated.

After having lunch, his father excused himself to go to work and his mother followed with a kiss to Jordon’s forehead. He was once again alone at their dining table. The staff took away the empty plates and Jordon could feel Matt’s presence behind him.

“Hey, Matty”, he grinned. “I wonder if Daniel would eat you if I asked him to.”

“I don’t doubt it”, Matt replied, hands behind his back, clasping his wrists.

“That he’ll eat you?”

“That you’re wondering about that”, Matt corrected him with a hint of a smile.

Jordon looked back at Matt and swung his arm over the back rest of the chair. “Are you jealous I’m gonna be messing with someone else?”

“You shouldn’t mess with Daniel, Jordon”, Matt warned him. “He’s a Beast. You should let him protect you from harm. I’m here to carry out tasks.”

“And to occasionally keep me company when mommy and daddy are out”, Jordon mocked him like Matt was his babysitter. The older smirked at the comment. “Occasionally.”

“I bet it eats you up that I won’t be teasing you anymore”, Jordon stuck out his tongue.

Matt shook his head. “If only you would. Daniel joining us, won’t stop you from bugging me, Jordon.”

“No, it won’t. You know it”, Jordon chuckled before he got up to leave.

“Where are you going?” Matt asked, voice neutral.

The younger shrugged. “I don’t know yet. Maybe hit up Dylan. Why?”

“Your father asked to go over a few files, remember?”

Jordon threw his head back. “Do I have to?”

“If you want to take over and do waaaay better than him”, Matt grinned. “Then yes. Plus Dylan’s busy which is something you know. He’s at a convention with his parents.”

“Right! Snooty Con. I have no idea what the actual name of the convention was but we’re sticking with that”, Jordon said. “Do you happen to know where the files are?” he asked apologetically.

His father had given him a few company files last week to read and get into the business more but Jordon had cast them aside in a tantrum. Though he knew Matt well enough to know he picked them up and kept them safe for later use. “They’re on your desk. You know; the wooden thing you haven’t used in ages.”

Jordon laughed. “Damn, you’re savage today.”

“Aren’t I always?” Matt called after him when Jordon walked the stairs.

Fair enough, on his desk he found the files neatly, alphabetically organized. He moved the chair back and flopped down, propping his feet up on the desk and skimming the first file with semi-interest. While his father wasn’t an enjoyable person, Jordon was still very much interested in becoming his ‘successor’. Just because he wanted to do better than his dad and show how successful a casual loser like him could be. He realized he was making faces at his own thoughts and smirked to himself, losing focus on the file but it wasn’t the most interesting one in the bunch so he flipped through the next one, finding something far more interesting.

Before he knew it, he had spent the entire afternoon with his head in the files. Matt came by at some point with a cup of coffee to enjoy. Terrell Senior had asked him to write reports; opinions and findings on the files. He opened his computer and got started, typing the evening away. Matt came by another time to bring him dinner, telling him he told his parents he was working on the files. His father couldn’t have been more happy and allowed him to eat in his bedroom; something he usually got scolded for. During the time he was working on the report, he got a message from Decker telling him he’d come by in the morning. Great!

When he finished the final report, he looked up to find it way past midnight. He’d never been this invested in work and wondered where that dedication came from – refusing to believe it was a trait he inherited from his father – but he was too tired to think too much about it anymore. He stripped out of his clothes and dropped on his bed, asleep by the time his head hit the pillow.

***

“Jordon!”

The young man stirred from his deep sleep, yawning loudly and stretching his limbs with a satisfying pop. He heard a sigh from behind the door. “Do not tell me you just awoke.”

“Fine, I won’t tell you”, Jordon replied groggily when Matt entered his bedroom. Matt shook his head. “You do realize Jorel Decker and Daniel have arrived, don’t you? You’re supposed to go meet them right now.”

Jordon nearly jumped out of bed, stumbling as he tripped over the duvet he dragged along with him. He put on clothes faster than Matt had ever seen him get ready. He just combed his hair roughly with his fingers and shrugged “Good enough. Now let’s go!”

“May God give Daniel the strength not to kill you in frustration”, Matt called after Jordon as he sped down the stairs. He skidded to a halt in the hallway and composed himself before he entered the living room with the demeanour of a host. “Doctor Decker, nice to-…”

He stopped mid-sentence when his back hit the floor, finding Daniel on top of him. Before Decker could yell at Daniel to stop, the Beast’s hostile stance shifted. He stopped, got off and stuck out a hand to Jordon.

Jordon raised an eyebrow, still slightly dazed from the sudden drop to the floor. “Do you really expect me to accept help from you after you just tackled me?”

Daniel furrowed his eyebrows. “I’m sorry. You startled me. I had to protect Jay. I didn’t recognize you.”

His explanation was all over the place, jumping from one sentence to another frantically like he wanted to convey his apology to Jordon. “Dude, chill.”

Daniel stopped talking and stared at Jordon while he got up from the ground. “I get it. You live to protect.”

“I do”, Daniel nodded. “But I live to protect you too and I attacked you. That was very inappropriate.”

“It’s fine”, Jordon shrugged. “Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

Daniel frowned at the comment, looking back at Decker who shook his head. “Daniel doesn’t quite understand sayings like that yet. Just like sarcasm. It goes over his head still. Though it’s a good sign I didn’t have to command him to stop the attack. He recognizes you as an owner which means I can safely leave him in your hands. I’m not sure he’ll recognize your parents yet but he won’t attack because you’re the one calling the shots.”

Jordon nodded in understanding. “Thank you. I’m happy he… won’t try to kill me or whatsoever.”

It was like the perfect host had lost his composure and gone back to being just Jordon.

Daniel sat down on the couch and took in the living room. “I assume you want all objects to remain intact?”

“Why?” Jordon asked, a little weirded out by the question.

Decker shook his head with a chuckle. “Battle tactics. Daniel can try to avoid wrecking your home when fighting someone off.”

“Ah”, Jordon could only muster to respond.

“Well since all seems well, I should return to the lab. I’ve got plenty of work to do. Call me if anything goes wrong or if you have any questions but Daniel should be able to answer any questions”, Decker intently said before turning his back on both Daniel and Jordon to leave.

Matt appeared by the door, having heard the entire conversation to know when to make his appearance. Jordon already got used to the fact Matt was everywhere he went. “I’ll let you out, doctor.”

“Thanks for everything, doctor”, Jordon called out before Decker left.

“Good luck, Jordon!”

Jordon turned back to the Beast who smiled innocently. It was a massive contrast to his powers. “Do you want me to call you ‘Daniel’ too?”

“I will answer to anything you like”, Daniel hummed.

“I’ll call you ‘Danny’ then. Alright?”

The Beast thought about it. “Danny… I like it. What should I call you?”

“Whatever you think is fitting”, Jordon said. “You might wanna call my dad ‘sir’ and my mom ‘ma’am’. It’ll be easier if you do.”

Danny nodded. “They’re my other owners, aren’t they?”

“Yeah.”

The Beast hummed. “You don’t seem to like me, despite finding me attractive.”

Jordon nearly choked on his own spit. “E-excuse me? Who says I find you attractive?”

Danny smiled, revealing his perfect teeth. “I do. Your gaze shies away from mine but when you do look at me, your pupils dilate which is a sign that you find me physically attractive.”

“Jesus, Danny, don’t analyse me like that”, Jordon complained. “Come on. I should show you around the house or my dad will call me lazy again for not making you familiar with the house.”

“You’re not fond of your father”, Danny concluded. “Won’t that be a problem for us?”

“Why?”

“He’s my owner too”, the blonde pouted. “My owners must get along.”

“We’ll get along when it comes to you”, Jordon promised before taking Danny’s arm. The Beast could’ve easily snatched his arm away but he let Jordon pull him into the hall. “You’ve been here before but this is the hall.”

Danny pouted. “I know. I remember everywhere I’ve been.”

Though Jordon didn’t know how to treat Danny, he showed him the kitchen, the study, the dining room, the downstairs bathroom, the storage room, the living room (again, yes) and then headed upstairs to show him the dozens of guest rooms, his own room, Matt’s room, the staff rooms and then his parents’ bedroom. He really took Danny through it like a whirlwind but the Beast barely needed any time to register his surroundings. He already familiarized himself with the garden by looking through the window, he mentioned. He was truly an amazing creature.

The tour of the house finally ended in Jordon’s room where Jordon flopped down on his bed and Danny remained standing in the middle. “Your room’s nice.”

“It’s a room”, Jordon shook his head. “What’s nice about it?”

“It’s personal”, Danny noticed, skimming over several posters that contained artists. One of Tom Petty, one of The Beatles and one of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Jordon had put them up there in his teenage years but never bothered to take them down. He still liked the artists featuring in them anyway. “You must be into music.”

“I am”, Jordon agreed. He liked to think that if his father didn’t have the company to take over, Jordon would’ve pursued a career in music. Of course, he had never shared that interest with his parents. They would’ve laughed at it in his face.

The Beast looked around for a place to sit so Jordon patted the duvet of the bed besides him. Before entering the room, he had checked whether or not the maid had made his bed already. Danny sat down and glanced sideways at Jordon. His staring was unnerving. “What?”

“I just like looking at you”, Danny muttered. “I’ve been kept in a cage.”

“Is that why Decker scheduled for you to come by sooner?” Jordon asked. Danny smirked to himself. “No, I wrecked the cage.”

“What for?”

The older shrugged. “He gave me you and your family, only to take you away from me again.”

“You wanted to be with us?”

Danny nodded. “I want to protect you.”

“Me? Or my family?”

“Both”, the blonde smiled. “It makes me restless when I can’t protect you.”

“But Decker is your owner too.”

“Jay is my creator. Not my owner. Our bond is different. I can never see him as my master”, the Beast explained. It was clear that Jay had explained him these concepts because Jordon was amazed by the amount of shit Danny knew about his own creation.

“About that”, the brunette chuckled. “My dad is convinced you’ll pick him as your true master.”

Danny cocked his head at the younger. “Why?”

“Because he thinks he’s the boss of everything and everyone”, Jordon shrugged. Danny fixated his eyes on the light in the room and considered it. “I’ve met you already. I choose my true master back at the lab.”

“You did?”

The blonde nodded. “My choice is only becoming clearer to me as we talk. You’re honest, Jordon. You don’t treat me like a pet either. Your mother and father asked me about my abilities, about my powers as if I had to prove myself to them. You asked me if I recognized you and how I was doing for once. No one has asked for my opinion”

“Do you even have an opinion?” Jordon wondered.

Danny chuckled. He took Jordon’s hand and pressed it to his chest. “Feel. I have a heartbeat. I’m human. I’m a human with a purpose that I will fulfil at all costs but I’m still a living being. I hope my honesty doesn’t overstep the boundary of my position as your servant, my master.”

Jordon swallowed a lump in his throat. He could feel Danny’s heartbeat but he could also feel the muscle below. He retracted his hand and sighed. “I know you’re alive. It’s why I think Beasts are unnatural.”

“Oh no!” Danny cut in. “I love being a Beast. I’m fast, I’m strong, I have supernatural powers. I can kick some ass.”

“But you constantly have to look after an ungrateful rich family”, Jordon filled in.

Danny shook his head. “You don’t get it. I love the family. I protect you because I love you and want you to be safe.”

Jordon blinked confused. “Y-you love me?”

“The bond. I’ve been made to love you. Love is the strongest connection between two people so Jay made me love my owners so that I will obey. Because obeying makes them happy”, Danny ranted with a smile on his face. Jordon was about to respond when Matt knocked and opened the door. “Lunch, Jordon.”

“For Danny too?” Jordon asked. He couldn’t tell why but the Beast was a pleasant presence. He wanted him to be there during lunch as well.

Matt gave it a thought. “If you want the Beast to have lunch with you, then yes, but I think your parents want him to eat with the servants.”

“I don’t”, Jordon objected. “I want Danny with me at the table because he’s supposed to protect me… us at all times. How can he protect us if he eats away from us? That’s three times a day leaving us unprotected.”

Though truth be told, Jordon didn’t want Danny to eat with the servants because it truly did make him feel like a slave. He didn’t want to degrade the beautiful being like that. Although saying it that way seemed to set something off in Danny’s head. He glared at Matt. “You will let my master have lunch with me if you’re smart.”

Matt blinked surprised at the Beast and Jordon put a hand over his mouth. “Danny! You can’t threaten Matt. Matt’s a good guy!”

“He’s an indirect risk to you if he doesn’t allow me to be by your side”, Danny complained but the scowl he got from Jordon made him shut his mouth. “I’m sorry. I don’t know my place in the household yet. I just want to protect you.”

“I get it”, Jordon argued, holding Danny’s hands into his own. “But not like that.

***

There were several incidents where Danny wasn’t sure how to behave in the house but he quickly learned that he should be mannered. He should only protect Jordon from direct threats and wait out indirect threats until they were no longer able to ignore it. Jordon taught Danny how to eat properly like a well-behaved man and made sure to clean the Beast up for his parents.

For starters, he shaved his beard. His father hated facial hair. He said it made a neat man look like a homeless person. Danny was confused and not to mention, he struggled in the seat because the barber neared him with a razor without a warning. He didn’t only struggle in his seat, he also broke the barber’s wrist and sent him to the hospital. As much as Jordon had scolded Danny for doing so, he couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of his Beast hurting someone trying to shave him.

Though the event led to revealing the perfect jawline of his Beast. “Did Decker know he was making a handsome Beast?”

“Of course. Appealing to the eye attracts bidders”, Danny had replied and Jordon wondered why he hadn’t figured that out himself. Of course, the company had only cared about selling Danny to the masses. How could they not feel bad about selling such a beautiful man though?

After a shaky re-introduction with his parents – Danny growled at his father – all seemed moderately alright. There had been a slight argument about Danny picking his true master but the Beast was quick to disarm his father of any anger after he found out Jordon was named to be the true master. “He’s your heir, isn’t he, sir? Then why do you mind if he gains full protection from me? He’s the future of your lifework after all.”

Now that was something my father couldn’t object to so without too much insults, his father had accepted Danny picked Jordon as his true master. Jordon liked Danny even more for manipulating his father into accepting it. He had never witnessed anyone shutting up his father so quickly before.

“Where does he sleep?” Jordon had asked, realizing Danny didn’t have his own room yet. His parents hadn’t thought about it either as they didn’t expect Danny to be here before Sunday. Though Danny stepped in. “I don’t sleep.”

“You don’t?”

Danny shook his head. “I’m on duty 24/7. Sleep would be a weak security measure so I don’t need to sleep.”

“Then how do you remain energized?” Jordon asked but Danny only shrugged. “Jay didn’t mention a need to refill my energy reserves. Must be through food.”

“Must be”, Terrell Senior repeated. “But what will you do while we sleep? It’s two different bedrooms and you must guard us all.”

“He can circle the house. Dylan’s parents let Johnny patrol outside at night”, Jordon mentioned, wanting to punch himself for revealing that piece of information. If anyone asked, he received the information from Dylan himself and not from experience with a Johnny encounter.

“That’s not a bad idea”, his mother agreed.

Jordon got up to get ready for bed when his father called him back. “Matt mentioned you were working on those files I gave you last week. Was it true?”

“Yea- Yes”, Jordon corrected himself in time. “I finished my reports on them too. Do you want me to send them to you?”

“Yes, very much. Good to see you’re finally taking this serious.”

Not really, Matt was just really riding my ass about it. “Of course”, Jordon put on his best fake smile before leaving to head upstairs.

Though he had a shadow. Danny was following his footsteps.

***

“Do you mind if I take Danny to the Alvarez house?” Jordon asked his mother since he knew his father would say ‘no’ right away.

His mother pursed her lips. “Why?”

“Dylan wants to see Danny and I’d like to show Danny around the neighbourhood a little bit as well”, Jordon explained. He batted his eyelashes to coax his mother into agreeing. She could never say no to her chubby cheeked Jordon. The Beast stood by his side, nodding frantically and agreeing with everything Jordon said. It had been nearly a week since he moved in with the Terrell family and he was adapting well. Jordon came to like Danny’s presence more and more, though his parents found it distasteful that he had decided to change “Daniel” to “Danny”. Danny had leaned in and whispered he preferred “Danny” to the brunette. Jordon loved how Danny seemed to take his side on every argument.

“Why can’t Dylan come over instead?” mrs. Terrell asked.

Jordon shook his head. “You know he’s not allowed to leave the family property because he got into a fight at snooty- Uh. The convention”, he caught himself right on time. His mother hummed but smiled in the end. “Go ahead. Your father won’t mind. He’s been pleased with the work you put into those reports. He said you’ll get them back with his commentary this week as well.”

“Commentary?” Jordon repeated. “Why?”

“So you can learn from your mistakes.”

Like my dad’s reports are flawless. Jordon bitterly thought but he bit his tongue and left the living room, dragging Danny outside. The Beast wasn’t used to the outer world as he’d only ever been inside buildings, cars and never really took a walk. Even protecting the house at night meant he remained in between the fences of their home. Jordon quickly texted Dylan he’d be at his house in five while Danny took in the environment of the open streets. “I like it outside.”

“You do?” Jordon asked, strolling the sidewalk with Danny by his side. The Beast nodded. “There are no walls. I can clearly see anyone in a larger radius than I can inside a house. It makes my job easier.”

“You like it easy?” Jordon teased but Danny rolled his eyes. “I do enjoy a struggle but I prefer to keep you safe, master.”

“Don’t call me that, I told you before”, Jordon complained.

Danny shook his head. “You told me to call you whatever I found fitting. I find ‘master’ very fitting so it stays!”

“You’re so stubborn”, Jordon clicked his tongue when they reached the Alvarez mansion. Before they even reached the back of the villa to climb the window, they bumped into Johnny. The Beast immediately recognized Jordon but tensed at the sight of Danny. “Daniel.”

“Johnny”, Danny replied. “How’s your back?”

“My back?”

“From hitting the floor when I took you out”, Danny smirked.

“It’s been two weeks. Initial strength of a Beast is always larger than the final strength it grows into”, Johnny scoffed.

Danny shook his head. “Nah, I’m pretty sure I can still take you out”

“He’s with me, Johnny. You know you can trust me”, Jordon said but Johnny didn’t back off. “I can’t trust anyone now that Dylan is in danger after the fight at the convention.”

Dylan poked his head out the window. “Johnny, back the fuck off already. Come upstairs if you really wanna save the damsel in distress. Wait, I’m the damsel, aren’t I?”

Johnny walked away to head inside the house while Jordon climbed up the wall. The Brute wasn’t allowed to climb the wall to the bedroom anymore since his strength damaged the building in the process. Danny was quick to get upstairs as well, nearly jumping the wall with excellent grace. The Mexican stared at the Beast. “So this is him, huh?”

“Yeah, this is him”, Jordon proudly stated. Johnny joined them in the room as well, sitting by Dylan’s side on a chair. Danny took in Dylan. “This is your friend, master?”

“Yes, this is Dylan. He’s not a threat”, Jordon promised.

Danny seemed satisfied with that answer but kept his guard on. Though Jordon spotted his Beast making faces at Johnny. Danny was taunting the Brute and knowing Johnny, it wouldn’t take long to make him snap.

“He’s… handsome indeed”, Dylan whistled. “Damn.”

“Pleasing to the eye attracts the big money”, Danny replied to his gaze. “Jay wanted me to sell for a lot of cash to fund his experiments.”

“Doesn’t that make you feel like a product?” Johnny asked.

Danny laughed at the question. “I was sold to the Terrell family and programmed to feel an undying love for Jordon and his parents. Feeling my love burn like this, doesn’t make me feel like a product, no.”

“He loves you?” Dylan asked.

Jordon nodded. “The ‘bond’ is essentially love because it’s the strongest connection between humans. Danny does everything to help us because he loves us.”

“Cute. Almost like a Beast boyfriend”, Dylan chuckled. “Would that be beastiality?”

“Fuck off, Dylan”, Jordon shook his head.

“Congratulations on becoming an obedient pet”, Johnny smirked to Daniel. “At least I still have my pride of being rebellious sometimes.”

“You mean like a malfunctioning Beast?” Danny snorted. “How is that something to be proud of?”

Jordon glared sideways. “Danny, cut it out.”

“Cut what out? His eyes?” Danny asked and Jordon would think the man was joking but he took on a battle stance. Right, he took things literally. “I meant; stop it. You’re provoking him.”

Danny fell back with a pout. “I could kick his ass.”

“Stop”, Jordon hissed.

“He’s kinda aggressive, isn’t he?” Dylan asked. “But I’ll never say no to someone teasing the fuck out of Johnny.”

Johnny shook his head at the comment. “You’re insane.”

“But you totally love it, Johnny 3 Tears”, Dylan chuckled.

“Johnny 3 Tears?” Danny repeated.

“Beasts usually have a flashier name than ‘Daniel’, newbie”, Johnny smirked. “Something to show off our traits. I only let my victims cry 3 tears before they die by my hand.”

Danny hummed. “I don’t need a flashy name. I make up for it in performance.”

“True”, Jordon agreed. “Speaking of performance. You’re crazy fast, you can turn yourself invisible, whoop Johnny’s ass in strength. Anything else?”

“Is it not good enough for you that I have those traits?” Danny asked, his tone was sad but Jordon was quick to put an arm around him. “No no, I’m just curious.”

Danny perked up. “I’ve got my sharp claws and fangs too?”

“So do I”, Johnny stated, holding up clawed fingers. “Not impressive.”

Danny growled back angrily. “Come at me. See what happens.”

“Danny”, Jordon warned him. “Come on. What else?”

“Jay mentioned ‘seduction’ but I have no idea what he meant by it”, Danny offered.

Dylan grinned. “Dude, you’re hot. People will think you’re like… this dumb, hot guy if you shut your mouth and hide your claws. No one will know you’re actually a fucking dangerous Beast.”

“Dumb?” the blonde repeated insulted. “Excuse me?”

“You look like the type to think you need to have sex twice to conceive twins”, Dylan chuckled.

Jordon facepalmed. “Jesus, Dylan. Sorry, Danny, he’s a moron.”

“Do I look dumb?” the Beast asked in a pout. “Jay said I’m the smartest of Beasts.”

“And we have yet to find out in what context you’d ever be the smartest”, Johnny grumbled, catching a glare from Danny again.

A question popped into Jordon’s head. “Johnny, do you need any sleep?”

“I need four hours of sleep”, Johnny nodded.

Danny beamed proudly. “I need none. I’m better than you, broken toy.”

Jordon sighed. What the hell was he gonna do about Danny’s attitude?

After the encounter with Johnny at Dylan’s house, Jordon had told his parents about the Beast’s behaviour. His father was a little worried since there had been other altercations where the Beast disobeyed him and his wife. He really shouldn’t have been surprised by the conversation that followed a few days later.

“I’ve made an appointment with Decker”, Terrell Senior mentioned during dinner. His mother only nodded in agreement as she already knew of the appointment. Danny wasn’t around; he was patrolling the house as they were having dinner a little later than usual, making it near the night schedule. They had set up a schedule for Danny on when to spend time with who and events to accompany them to. “Why?”

“Because you expressed some concerns about his hostility towards other Beasts and I’ve noticed he can put on a nasty attitude to me too. You’ll have to take him since your mother and I have to work. It’s next Friday”, his father hummed in between bites of his plate. Jordon hummed. “Not a bad idea.”

“Oh and have you had the time to look at my commentary on your reports yet?”, father asked but Jordon shook his head. “Not yet.”

“It’s not a lot. The reports were quite alright, but there were still a few points you must pay attention to. Try to go over them this week, alright?”

“Yes, sir”, Jordon replied. He had finished his plate so he excused himself to head to his room. He was so fucking tired. He needed his bed. The past few days had been exhausting with his father riding his ass about the commentary on the reports. Dylan hadn’t been allowed to get any visitors anymore since Johnny was wounded in an assault. Things really weren’t going well for the Alvarez family right now. Not being able to see Dylan was wearing Jordon down. Venting to his best friend was one of the things that made his father more bearable to live with. Despite the compassionate looks she gave him, his mother didn’t bother to step in and tell Terrell Senior to quit pushing Jordon so much. As if the pushing about the commentary hadn’t been enough, Jordon had to spend several days in the week at the company to get familiar with the pressure of work and their flow. His father really wasn’t planning on remaining the CEO much longer.

Sure, Jordon couldn’t complain. So far he had lived the luxurious life of being a couch potato but suddenly stepping up his game and working so hard, was something he wasn’t used to.

In his room, he spotted the Beast spinning the house at a crazy speed. He ran around like that to make sure no part of the house would remain invisible to him. He didn’t like to think someone was trying to get in through the back while he was patrolling the front. “Danny?”

The Beast stopped to stand below the window. “Yes?”

“Come up here for a second?” Jordon requested.

Danny climbed the wall to Jordon’s window and stepped inside. “Is something wrong?”

“No, no. It’s just. We’re meeting Decker next week, alright?” Jordon informed the older. Danny cocked his head. “Why?”

“Just some things you’ve said that my dad didn’t like”, Jordon shrugged. “Oh and your attitude towards Johnny was crazy rude.”

“Sorry”, Danny tried. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“What’s the thing with my dad though? He said you put on an attitude with him?” the younger raised an eyebrow.

Danny sat down on the bed. “You don’t like him. I don’t like him either.”

“But you love him. That’s the bond”, Jordon argued.

The Beast nodded. “When experiencing a contradiction, I’m inclined to follow my true master. I’m supposed to love him but my feelings for you override it.”

“So the bond is broken?” Jordon asked.

Danny shrugged. “I don’t know. I won’t harm him because I know you don’t want him to die, despite your loathing, but should I have to take care of him to save you… I would without hesitation.”

“You’re crazy”, Jordon chuckled, taking a seat by Danny’s side. “But it’s nice of you to dislike him for me.”

He leaned his back against the wall besides his bed and tugged Danny back. The Beast leaned against the wall as well. “I wish I could take you away from him. He makes you unhappy. I’ve noticed.”

“I’ve been putting up with him for 25 years now. I can handle a few more”, Jordon promised. He leaned his head on Danny’s shoulder and sighed. “It just sucks that I can’t see Dylan now that Johnny’s wounded.”

“Why?”

“Dylan kinda makes it bearable. He’s my best friend”, Jordon explained.

Danny rested his cheek against Jordon’s hair. “And I’m not?”

“You’re my Beast”, Jordon chuckled but Danny wasn’t happy with that reply. “Does that mean I can’t make this bearable for you? That I can’t be your friend?”

“I didn’t say that”, Jordon bit. “You’re just… something else to me.”

Danny put an arm around Jordon. “I wanna be more than a Beast.”

Jordon sunk into the embrace of the strong blonde. He’d been way more tired than he thought, eyes heavy. He yawned. “But you are.”

Danny stayed where he was while Jordon fell asleep against him. He couldn’t help but smile and stare at Jordon’s peaceful features while he slept. Fuck patrolling the house for tonight, Danny was staying right where he was. While the young Beast didn’t need any sleep, he spent his time thinking through several things and solving multiple problems when it came to defending the house. He went over battle tactics but once the line of thoughts was finished, he couldn’t help but spin his mind to Jordon. The young man was sleeping safely against his side. Despite loathing his dad, he held a burning passion to take over the company and do way better than his father. Danny could find his own burning passion in it.

Since moving in with the Terrell family, the blonde had enjoyed every moment spent with Jordon. Whether it was some stupid banter, a funny conversation where Jordon teased him with the way he took everything literally. Danny couldn’t help but smile fondly at the memories. So yes, he’d been more than disappointed to find he couldn’t make life here with his father more bearable the way Dylan could. Did his master not find Danny enough to help him get through the day?

Jordon stirred when the sunlight reached his face and sat upright.

“Good morning”, Danny whispered.

The younger blinked in surprise and turned to Danny. “Oh. I fell asleep, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did.”

“Why didn’t you just… leave and continue your night schedule?” Jordon asked and Danny shrugged. “Did you want me to do that?”

“I don’t know. I thought you would for safety reasons”, the younger muttered but his Beast leaned in. “Staying with you is safe too.”

Jordon backed away a little but remained on the bed with Danny. “You need to stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“That”, Jordon replied. He swallowed a lump in his throat. “You’re getting way too close.”

Danny scooted back a little. “Better?”

“No, not like that. I mean. You know you’re… handsome and it’s really hard when you look at me like that”, Jordon awkwardly stated. Danny cocked his head. “Does the attraction make you uncomfortable?”

“Not like that-…”, Jordon began but Danny cut him off with a smile. “Does it make you hot then?”

“Don’t put it like that”, the younger shifted, feeling his discomfort grow. “I just need to remind myself that you’re my Beast sometimes and not some… hot dude in my bedroom.”

Danny leaned forward. “I can be both. In fact; I am both.”

“Yeah but I mean. A hot dude in my bedroom for a fuck”, Jordon said. He watched Danny think it over. “Do you prefer men?”

“Yeah.”

“Since when?”

“Since always. My parents don’t know though so don’t go announcing it”, Jordon warned him. Danny shook his head. “No, that’s fine.”

“What about you?” Jordon asked.

The blonde pursed his lips. “I don’t have a preference. I can’t experience love or lust for anyone.”

“But you love us. You love me”, Jordon countered him.

Danny wiggled back and forth on the bed and hummed affirmatively. “I do love and want you.”

“Y-you want me?” Jordon stammered. “So you can feel lust.”

“I can, but I take care of it myself”, Danny innocently stated.

Jordon bit his lip. “Fuck, Danny, don’t put that image in my head.”

Danny traced down Jordon’s body with his dark eyes, tongue swiping over his lower lip and gaze settling on his trousers. “I can take care of you too if you want me to.”

“I- uh. I don’t think that’s a good idea”, Jordon cleared his throat, face the colour of a tomato by now. “You’re supposed to keep me safe. Not.. satisfied.”

Danny shook his head and came closer. “I’m supposed to keep you happy. I can’t have my master feel like I’m a tease with this look.”

Jordon weakly scooted back until his back was against the wall but his protest had been weak from the start. He liked Danny this close to him and he liked the look in Danny’s eyes. It held something dangerous but so very, very hot.

The way the Beast kept licking his perfect, red lips like he couldn’t wait to ruin Jordon wasn’t helping either. The younger allowed the Beast to near him on hands and knees, putting a hand above Jordon’s knee. “Do you want me to make you happy?”

“Definitely, I do, but I’m not sure if it’s the best idea”, Jordon expressed his concern. Danny shrugged it off and stared into his blue eyes, face merely a few inches apart. “I’m your Beast. Why wouldn’t it be a good idea?”

“Do you really want to?” Jordon asked, feeling like an idiot for asking when Danny was in his lap like this. The Beast rolled his eyes before grazing his lips over the other’s in a teasing manner. Jordon put a hand on Danny’s cheek and pressed them together firmly, lips parting to deepen the kiss. He could feel the Beast smirk and drag his tongue across Jordon’s lower lip before meeting Jordon’s tongue. The younger let out an embarrassing moan when Danny straddled his lap and let his hands fall back to the older’s hips. Danny arched his back and Jordon would have to be made of stone not to buck his hips when his ass ground into him.

Danny broke their kiss to give Jordon a devilish look. Though Jordon couldn’t have been across the room any faster when someone knocked on his door. Danny remained on the bed, looking like nothing happened when Matt entered the room. God, Jordon must’ve looked like he was humping the blonde only seconds ago cause Matt paused to take him in. “You’re dressed.”

“I fell asleep like this”, Jordon mentioned, voice low.

Matt rolled his eyes. “I should’ve known. You never get ready this quick.”

The servant let his eyes fall on Danny. “Good, I can tell your parents that I’ve found the Beast. They were worried because he wasn’t outside when they woke up.”

“Danny spent the night with me”, Jordon said, faking a yawn.

Matt raised an eyebrow and Jordon realized just exactly how it sounded. “Not like that! Jesus, he’s a Beast.”

Matt shook his head and walked back into the hallway. “Get ready, Jordon, breakfast’s served.”

Jordon pushed the bedroom door closed and allowed himself a nervous chuckle. “That was so fucking close.”

Danny grinned in response. “Too close.”

The grin melted off his face when Jordon headed into the bathroom to get ready. He hopped off the bed to follow his master. “Are we not going to finish what we started?”

Jordon splashed some water in his face, looking at Danny through the mirror as the Beast stood behind him. “Didn’t you hear? I have to get ready and be downstairs for breakfast.”

Danny stepped closer and Jordon could feel him against his back. The blonde put his arms around him and dragged his tongue down his neck. “Guess we’ll have to be quick then.”

Jordon shuddered, melting under his touch even more when Danny slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants, so damn close to his growing ache. “Danny, I really don’t think we should.”

The Beast frowned, the innocent look in his eyes returning when Jordon declined his offer. Jordon wanted to apologize for it but he really didn’t have the time to. He turned around and pecked Danny’s cheek. “Tonight. I’ll leave the window open for you.”

Danny hummed happily at that and drew Jordon into a hug. “I can wait until then.”

God, what was he getting himself into.

***

Jordon was nervous and he didn’t know what for. At breakfast his semi-horny mood had been killed entirely by his dad nagging about the commentary on the reports again. Jesus, let it rest for a second, will you? The day went by agonizingly slow and it wasn’t helping that Danny was giving him these seductive eyes. How could the Beast hold so much power over him? Jordon thought he was supposed to be the master here. Since there was nothing to do all day, Jordon did go over the commentary on his reports. Reading the commentary would surely kill any thoughts that could lead to any unwanted boners like the fact he’d been so ready for Danny this morning. He bit down hard on the insides of his cheek and focused on the written, red lines. His father hadn’t been lying. Most of the reports were great but there were several typo’s and brainfarts Jordon blamed on working through the night. Some were just technical mistakes where Jordon had missed some background information in the file and hadn’t been able to incorporate it into his essays.

Overall it seemed like his dad was cutting him some slack. He corrected the mistakes he had made and improved a few sentences before sending it back to his dad. He’d be more than thrilled to know Jordon finally looked into it.

The brunette was at least right about that because Terrell Senior couldn’t stop boasting about the great reports at dinner.

It felt good to know his father was finally proud of things Jordon had done, instead of tell him he was a disappointing heir.

Once dinner passed, Jordon excused himself to head upstairs. He claimed it was to read some more files. He had taken some home from the company after spending the day there a few days ago. They were more than happy to let him off the hook. Jordon headed upstairs, wondering where Danny was. He hadn’t seen him at the dining table but it was close to his night schedule so he could’ve been patrolling outside. Upstairs, the window in his bedroom was open just like he had promised.

Jordon was nervous and he didn’t know what for, again. Maybe it could be the fact he had promised his Beast, his security measure, to leave the window open for him. It suggested Jordon would continue what they had started this morning. He didn’t regret what happened but he still didn’t think it was a good idea to do this.

After entering the empty room, the door to the hallway smacked closed. Jordon looked over his shoulder to find Danny materializing out of thin air. “Good evening, Jordon.”

“Hey”, Jordon replied. “How long have you been here?”

Danny shrugged. “A while.”

He stepped closer to Jordon. “I feel like you’ve only agreed to this because you want to make me happy.”

Jordon sighed. “I feel like I could say the same.”

“I want you, Jordon. You’re the only person I could feel this way about. I just don’t want you to hold yourself back over the fact I’m a Beast. If you want me, you can have me”, Danny pleaded.

Jordon nodded. “I just. You didn’t pick me. You feel this way about me because you don’t have a choice.”

“I did have a choice. I had three owners. I picked you”, Danny countered. He was taller than Jordon, using his height to lift Jordon’s chin and let him look straight into his hazel eyes. “I like you for your honesty so tell me honestly; do you want me?”

Jordon closed his eyes. “Yes”

“Do I make you hot?” Danny smirked.

Jordon bit his lip. “Of course, look at you.”

“Did you take care of yourself after this morning”, the Beast teased and the younger shook his head. “Did you?”

“Of course”, Danny leaned in to whisper. “But that image is a lot for you, isn’t it?”

Jordon ignored the flashing image of Danny touching himself. Where the hell would he even do that? “Y-you don’t even have your own room to do that.”

Danny pressed his lips against Jordon’s jaw. “I have yours.”

The comment went straight down to his pants. “You’re a disaster.”

“Maybe, but you fucking love it”, Danny grinned, dragging his fangs lightly down Jordon’s neck.

He pushed Jordon back until he dropped on his bed, scooted until his back was against the wall. He gladly put his arms around Danny like he had this morning when the Beast straddled his lap. The older paused to take him in. His pupils were blown, the hazel nearly invisible. Jordon found himself admiring Danny’s features now that he had the opportunity to really look at him. He felt a blush creep up from his neck when he pictured the things Danny could do with those fangs for a split second. God, don’t go there.

Jordon moved his hands from the hips under Danny’s shirt. The Beast closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling. He put his arms around Jordon’s neck in an embrace. Jordon could feel any objection he’d had, melt away. How could he think Danny didn’t want this when the man was clearly responding to his touch? Danny loved him and Danny wanted him right there and then. He slid his hands higher over Danny’s abs and kissed his neck. “You’re beautiful.”

The Beast leaned back to look at Jordon and licked his lips. Jordon considered it an invite and craned his neck to capture them in a kiss. The fire he’d felt that morning returned. Danny placed his hands in Jordon’s neck as he tilted his chin to sneak his tongue into the kiss. Jordon dropped one hand down to Danny’s thigh and let the other remain on the small of his back. The blonde groaned into the kiss, a sound that sent a tingling straight down Jordon’s pants. He placed his hand higher on Danny’s thigh, thumb touching his crotch. He traced the outlines of the Beast’s cock through his pants. Danny arched his back into the touch, still very lost in the passionate kiss while Jordon unbuttoned his pants. He palmed the older through his boxers. Danny broke the kiss and hid his face in Jordon’s neck with a quiet moan. Jordon bit his lip, facing downward to catch a glimpse of his concealed arousal. “Fuck, you’re big.”

Danny let out a breathy chuckle at the comment before placing kisses down Jordon’s jaw into his neck. The younger groaned appreciatively, lifting his hips subconsciously. Danny ground his ass down on the bulge. Jordon slipped his hand inside the older’s boxers and wrapped his fingers around his naked length. Danny tensed at the first contact, moaning quietly into Jordon’s neck.

The younger firmly stroked his cock, squeezing the length while he did. There was something about dominating the strongest and fastest being like this, that made it so much hotter. He pulled down the blonde’s boxers and used his other hand to keep the strokes coming at a steady pace. Danny kissed Jordon and bit his lip, squirming with every stroke. He palmed his master through his pants in uncontrolled motions, retracted his hand to grind his ass down along with the strokes. His kisses became more desperate and his breathing increased so Jordon kept up the rapid pace. He used his other hand to wrap around the Beast, feeling the muscles ripple beneath the skin. Danny broke the kiss with a groan, eyes tightly shut and clawed grip on Jordon’s shoulders tightening as he came hard in the younger’s hand. He panted, remaining immobile before slumping slightly against the other.

Jordon pressed a final kiss to Danny’s lips before wiping the cum off his fingers with a tissue on the bedside table. The Beast blinked a few times before he recovered. “Mmh, that was so much better than taking care of it myself.”

The younger squirmed at that image, very much enjoying the idea of Danny masturbating to him. The Beast ground down on Jordon. “But we’re not done, yet, are we?”

“I suppose we’re not”, Jordon said, voice thick. Danny leaned in against him while he hooked his fingers into the hem of Jordon’s pants. “You know I notice everything, don’t you?”

“I do”, Jordon frowned, confused about the relevance of that statement.

Danny gave a breathy moan, adding further to Jordon’s arousal and grinned. “I noticed you like it when I moan.”

Oh fuck.

Jordon bit his lip. “I do. It’s hot.”

Danny wrapped his hands around Jordon’s cock, groaning close to the younger’s ears. Jordon clenched his jaw, body responding to the noise. The Beast panted and Jordon knew he was grinning. “You’re leaking.”

“Obviously, when you’re moaning like a whore for me”, Jordon dryly stated. Danny chuckled, swiping his thumb over the slit. He groaned, loud enough for Jordon to worry if anyone in the hallway could hear them. Fuck, he hadn’t even locked his door!

Though when Danny jerked him off, the thought flew out the window. Jordon bucked his hips and let his head fall back, listening to the soft sounds Danny made just to get him off. Danny picked up the pace, furiously stroking him while whispering dirty nothings and hot sounds. The Beast was observant and knew exactly how to please his master. It was embarrassing how quickly Jordon was reaching his peak. He tried to hold back, thought of less arousing things but Danny had upped his antics and licked Jordon’s neck, nipping and grazing the skin with his teeth. Jordon came in a choked out groan, mind blurry as Danny moved away from him. The blonde bowed down to lick across the slit and down the length. Jordon twitched at the overstimulation, pulling Danny back up. The Beast licked his lips. “I like your taste.”

“Did you just swallow my cum?” Jordon panted.

Danny shrugged. “Maybe.”

Jordon shook his head, feeling heavy and tired. Danny got off Jordon to sit next to him and drew an arm around the younger to pull him closer. Jordon rested his head in the junction of Danny’s neck and shoulders. He yawned, nesting closer when Danny traced his spine with the tip of his claws. It was a pleasant feeling.

“Danny?”

The Beast hummed in response, staring into the room. Jordon was already drifting off to sleep, though he still muttered; “I think I’m falling for you.”

***

Since Jordon’s nightly encounter with Danny, things had been different. While Jordon still worked hard on writing reports for the files from work and still spent a few days a week at the company, the moments he did spent at home, he found himself seeking the company of his Beast.

Danny didn’t like the days Jordon would spend there because he’d be forced to stay home but it was what Jordon wanted so Danny didn’t complain. The two hadn’t changed their behaviour at the table when Jordon’s parents joined them. No one noticed a change in their dynamics, but on a busy day with only a second of alone-time to spare, Jordon would find himself kissing Danny in the dark corners of the house. During the night, Danny would come join him and watch him sleep after an evening of less innocent kisses – if you know what he meant. The Beast didn’t need to sleep himself but he enjoyed playing Jordon’s body pillow and happily spooned him at night. Jordon always had a slight scare of Matt catching them like that but so far, Danny had always left before the servant could come fetch Jordon.

As the days went by in a blur of work and Danny, Friday evening came rather quickly. Jordon nearly forgot about the appointment with doctor Decker until his father reminded him. Why had they made that appointment again?

Right, Danny’s attitude and his behaviour towards Johnny.

“I remembered”, Danny hummed when they stepped into the car. Jordon was driving his father’s expensive Mercedes down to doctor Decker’s lab. Though the doctor would not see them in his lab. He would meet them in the visitors’ lounge.

“I forgot”, Jordon sighed. “So much has happened.”

Danny put his hand on Jordon’s knee. The younger looked up to meet the Beast’s gaze. “It will be fine. You have me.”

“Thanks”, Jordon smiled.

After finding a place to park the car, Jordon took Danny by the hand and led him into the building and into the visitors’ lounge. Doctor Decker was already waiting for them. Danny looked pleased to see him as he let go of Jordon to hug the engineer. “Jay!”

“Hi Daniel”, Jay greeted, returning the hug. “How has your stay been so far?”

“Great! I love it”, Danny beamed. “Jordon takes really good care of me.”

“Then what seems to be the issue?” Decker asked, shifting his eyes to Jordon.

The younger shrugged. “My father says he puts on an attitude with him but Danny says he does so because I’m his true master. He doesn’t like my parents very much.”

Decker looked at Daniel. “You’ve broken the bond with his parents in favour of him?”

“I have”, Danny stated. “Jordon is honest. Jordon cares about me as much as I care about him. His parents don’t. I won’t harm them because they’re still Jordon’s parents, but I don’t like following their orders.”

“Oh and he picked a fight with another Beast, despite the fact I told him to stop”, Jordon added.

Danny whipped his head to Jordon. “I will listen next time though. The events with Johnny was before you and I…”

The Beast caught himself in time before revealing too much information but Jordon watched the gears in Decker’s head shift until he drew his own conclusion. “Before you and Jordon what?”

Danny looked apologetic, mostly for running his mouth. Jordon cleared his throat. He really didn’t want to answer that question.

Decker clenched his jaw. “You had sex with my top notch invention?”

“Yes”, Danny muttered but the doctor still looked like he wanted to blow up in their faces. He turned to Jordon. “How could you take advantage of your Beast like that?”

“Excuse me?”

“He loves you because he has to in order to obey you and you find it necessary to take it even further?”, Decker asked.

Jordon shrugged. “He wanted me to.”

“Because he doesn’t know any better”, Jay bit.

“Jordon didn’t take advantage of me”, Danny stepped in. “He loves me.”

Jordon wished Danny had stayed out of it when Decker raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You love Daniel?”

The silence only confirmed it and allowed Decker to continue. “Listen closely, Jordon. Daniel is designed to love you so that he will obey you. He doesn’t know any better than to love you and want to make you happy but it’s not real. This. Is. Not. A. Relationship. He’s your servant. He doesn’t love you for you. He loves you because he’s programmed to!”

Jordon looked at his feet like a kid getting scolded but lifted his gaze to look at Danny. The Beast didn’t respond. “But Danny initiated it...”

“You’re more than capable of declining”, Decker said with the shake of his head. “I’ll have to take Danny in for today to fix the bond he broke with your parents. The attitude towards the other Beast will improve as well. You may come fetch him again tomorrow.”

Jordon nodded. He looked to Danny, wanting to tell him bye for now but Decker didn’t seem like he’d appreciate a gesture like that right now so the younger left, with his tail between his legs. The fact Danny hadn’t countered Decker in his favour, told Jordon enough. He was an idiot for falling in love with his Beast.

He walked outside and got into the Mercedes, paused when he got behind the wheel. He wanted to trash and scream for letting anything like this occur. He knew it had been a bad idea to allow Danny to touch him and get so close. Though Jordon kept it together. Despite the burning behind his eyes, he started up the car and drove home.

He answered the questions his parents had about the appointment and excused himself to head to bed without dinner. He wanted to be alone, wanted to sleep it off and maybe all of it could have been a bad dream.

Maybe he’d wake up a couple of days back in time when Danny hadn’t made a move on Jordon, when Jordon hadn’t fallen for the older man yet. A time where Jordon could think “Stop. You’re making a mistake” and they wouldn’t be in this situation right now.

With that train of thought, Jordon fell asleep. Despite he wanted to bawl his eyes out, he had managed to keep them dry – for the most part.

***

Jordon didn’t dare face doctor Decker after what happened yesterday but as he’d be confronted with plenty of sticky situations at work, he didn’t want to back down and not show up either. Despite his father’s offer to fetch Danny after work, Jordon decided to do so himself.

He drove up to the lab again and walked in the doors proudly. Doctor Decker couldn’t scold him into an apology. Jordon would not tolerate any disrespectful behaviour from him again.

Doctor Decker was there, with Danny by his side. Jordon smiled at the sight of him and cursed himself for it. “Hey Danny.”

The Beast gave him a blank stare, looking back at doctor Decker. The doctor nodded. “You may take Daniel home.”

Jordon thanked the doctor and took Danny by his hand to lead him to the car. Once inside the car, Jordon threw his head back in a sigh. “God, that was awkward. Are you alright?”

Danny nodded. “I’m alright.”

“Did he fix the bond?” Jordon asked, finding Danny’s behaviour fairly strange. “Danny?”

The Beast clenched his jaw. “My name is ‘Daniel’. Please respect that and take me to my owners.”

“I am your owner. What the hell are you saying?” Jordon responded startled.

Daniel shook his head. “I’m owned by Mr. and Mrs. Terrell.”

Jordon blinked before he took action and stumbled out of his car in heavy cussing. The kind of cursing his dad would be ashamed of. The kind just Jordon would spew.

“Wait here”, he hissed at Danny who huffed and leaned back in his seat. Jordon stomped across the car park into the lab and found Decker standing exactly where he’d been standing before. He wore a massive smug grin on his face, like he had expected the brunette to come back. “Yes?”

God, Jordon hated the smugness in his voice.

“What the fuck did you do to Danny?!” the younger nearly screamed, but keeping the volume low.

Doctor Decker chuckled. “I fixed him. You’re no longer his true master. You’re not even an owner.”

“You bastard”, Jordon growled, balling his fists. He wanted to wipe that smile off his face.

Decker snorted. “Serves you right for making my proudest invention into your sex doll. Speaking of, he doesn’t remember jack shit about your ‘relationship’ either. I fixed him for you. Good luck. You can no longer take advantage of him.”

Jordon took a step closer but Decker threatened to call security if he didn’t leave that instant. Defeated and seeing red, Jordon returned to his car, only to find it empty. Where the fuck had Danny ran off to?

Jordon drove his car down the street in search of the Beast, now filled with panic instead. He had to find him! His father spent four million dollars on getting him! Though it seemed futile and Jordon drove home a few hours later.

“Danny!?” Jordon called out when he found the Beast spinning around the house, like he used to for the nightly schedules. Jordon ran up to the Beast who stopped dead in his tracks to face the younger. “I thought I asked you to stop calling me that.”

The smile of relief on Jordon’s face melted at the statement. Right, Daniel’s mind was reset. “I was looking for you all over town.”

“I got sick of waiting while my master could be harmed so I ran home”, Daniel mused.

“Who’s your master?” Jordon dared to ask.

Daniel seemed disinterested in talking to Jordon. “Your father. May I resume patrol now? I’d rather not waste precious time on this pointless conversation.”

Before Jordon responded, Daniel had left and the younger could only stare at him as he turned invisible. “He doesn’t remember…”

Jordon walked inside to find his parents in the living room. “Jordon! Why don’t you tell us about your appointment with doctor Decker? He did a fine job fixing the Beast.”

It was his father. Jordon clenched his jaw and relaxed before walking into the living room. “He fixed him.”

“So I’ve noticed”, Terrell Senior beamed. “He’s very obedient now, even calls me ‘master’!”

Jordon nodded, biting back on the tears he had wanted to cry last night. Last night he had realized falling for Danny had been a mistake, but at least Danny had still loved him. Today, Danny was taken away from him. The Danny who loved him, didn’t exist anymore. “Decker reset his mind. Danny broke the bonds with you for me so Decker took me out of the ownership list.”

“Great work, he delivered. I’ll be sure to praise him in the upper circle”, Terrell Senior claimed but Jordon could see his mother staring at him. Though when he met her gaze, it seemed like she’d never been looking at him at all.

“Yeah, glad you got what you wanted”, Jordon absentmindedly spoke before heading upstairs. He’d skip dinner tonight. He wasn’t hungry.

He just wanted Danny back but knowing Danny didn’t exist anymore, made him feel empty inside. Though he wouldn’t cry.

Jordon refused to cry.

A knock on his bedroom door startled him out of his thoughts. “No Matt, I’m not coming down for dinner. I’m not hungry.”

The door opened to reveal his mother. Jordon turned bright red. “Oh excuse me, mother.”

“May I come in?” she asked.

Jordon nodded. His mother rarely entered his room. She usually remained in the doorstep but this time she walked inside to sit next to him on the bed. She put an arm around him. “Are you alright, dear?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Jordon chuckled but there was no joy in it. It was just an act to hide the sorrow. His mother cocked her head and stared at him intently. “A mother knows, Jordon.”

The younger’s smile melted off his face. “I just…”

His mother’s eyes were warm and sweet, like he could tell her anything but Jordon choked on his words.

“It’s Daniel, isn’t it?” she asked.

Jordon nodded. “I feel like I lost him.”

“Maybe for the better”, his mother mused. “It saves us another fight with your father.”

“You knew?” Jordon asked.

Mrs. Terrell pursed her lips. “A mother knows, Jordon.”

Jordon sighed, not knowing which way to go. Maybe his mother was right. Having Danny the way he was before, would’ve only caused more friction between him and his dad. Plus the love had been programmed and it wouldn’t have been real. He could never be together with a Beast, could he? As much as it hurt to have lost his love, it was probably for the better.

***

“What’s up, dude?” Dylan smirked when Jordon was guided to their living room. Now that Johnny had recovered from his injuries, Jordon was finally allowed to visit him again. This time though, he walked through the door instead of climbing to his window. “Hey.”

Dylan sensed something was up. Jordon really hadn’t thought about texting him what happened so he figured he’d just tell him in person and rage while he was at it. He really needed to throw it all out and have someone listen without judging. Sure, Matt could do that too but at his own place, his father could hear him and Jordon really didn’t want daddy Terrell to find out.

His dad had been crazy proud of him. Since coming back from Decker’s lab, Jordon had focused on the company and worked twice as hard. He had reviewed over 50 files in a week, written reports for every single one of them. He even wore a fucking suit to work and bothered to talk to dad’s fancy friends and clients. He’d busted his ass off to distract his mind from wandering back to Danny.

Whenever he thought of the Beast, how he used to be, Jordon could feel a brick in his stomach. He wanted him back. He wanted him back so bad but there was no getting him back. Danny didn’t exist anymore. Daniel took his place.

It was hard enough knowing Danny would never return to him but watching Daniel walk around with the same appearance? The same hazel eyes? The same hot skin when he patted Jordon’s arm to get his attention? It was hard not to see him as Danny anymore. Even worse when he witnessed his dad bossing Danny around like a slave. Danny took every command damn serious as it was his job but it looked utterly pathetic.

“I don’t even know where to start”, Jordon whispered. Dylan immediately noticed the bad mood and scurried upright on the couch to stare at his friend. “Holy fuck, what did he do?”

“Dad did nothing”, Jordon muttered. “It’s Danny.”

“Is he ok?” Dylan asked, eyes shooting to Johnny as the Brute stood beside the door. “I know how hard it can be when a Beast gets injured.”

Johnny offered Dylan a sweet smile before the Mexican focussed on Jordon again. “Is he ok?”

Jordon nodded. “He’s fine, but we took him to Decker because there were some difficulties with his obedience. He picked me as his true master and ended up loathing my dad, like I do, for me. He broke the bond for me. Decker fixed it.”

“So?” Dylan cocked his head. “What’s the problem?”

“He erased me from Danny’s memory. I’m not an owner anymore.”

Dylan took a moment to stare at Jordon. “What the fuck?”

“Daniel picked my dad as his master now”, Jordon muttered. “God, I was such an idiot.”

“You couldn’t have known he’d break the bond for you”, Dylan tried but Jordon looked up with defeated eyes. “Before Decker ‘fixed’ him, Danny said he loved me. Danny wanted to make me happy.”

The younger nodded, clearly not getting it. Jordon rubbed his face. “I fell in love with my Beast, Dylan.”

Dylan’s eyebrows flew up in surprise, eyes shifting to Johnny again. “That’s okay. I’m sure plenty of people fall for their Beast.”

“Have you even been listening?!” Jordon shouted, hearing Johnny take a step closer in defence. “Danny doesn’t remember me. Decker erased me from his mind. I love the Danny he erased!”

“Oh, that’s… that’s bad”, Dylan muttered. “I’m so sorry, Jordon.”

Jordon sighed and shook his head. “You’re distracted. What’s up?”

“Nothing”, Dylan shrugged. “I just. I’m still a little shook from the assault, you know? A bunch of people attacking Johnny like that? You should’ve seen him. Johnny looked messed up. I was really worried.”

Johnny made a sound and Jordon looked back at him. “Wait, are you…?”

The Beast turned bright red at the insinuation. It all clicked. “Oh.”

Dylan shrugged. “Yeah. I guess we both know what it’s like to fall for your Beast.”

“Only, you still have yours”, Jordon stated before he got up. “I’ll let myself out.”

Dylan didn’t bother changing Jordon’s mind on leaving. He supposed the older had to figure things out for himself. He needed to get over Danny, because the Beast was gone. His best friend could not help him with that.

It was a thought that constantly ran through Jordon’s mind. Even as he entered the house and found Daniel waiting for his father to come home. “He’s gonna be home at six”, Jordon said.

Daniel lifted his head to look at Jordon but turned his gaze back to the door. “I know.”

“Then quit waiting for him like a dog!” Jordon yelled. That finally drew Daniel’s attention as he shifted to take Jordon in. “Your father wants me to protect you too. Are you alright?”

“No, I’m fucking not but you can’t fix that, can you?” Jordon hissed. “God, I hate that you look like that!”

Daniel averted his eyes to the ground. “Do you not find me attractive? Jay made me attractive to the eye so that I would sell for a lot of money.”

“I know that”, Jordon bit. “We’ve had that conversation before but you don’t remember and that’s the problem!”

Daniel blinked a few times in response, keeping his mouth shut. Jordon groaned and threw his hands up in frustration. “It’s like talking to a fucking brick wall!”

Jordon walked away to his bedroom and slammed the door shut, drawing Matt’s attention. “Jordon!”

When no sarcastic reply came from the younger, Matt raised an eyebrow and decided to go check it out himself. He entered Jordon’s room hesitantly. “I thought you weren’t gonna stop messing with me once Daniel arrived?”

Jordon was sitting at his desk, trying to focus on work again as the conversation with Danny had been way too much to handle right now. He looked up at Matt. “Oh, yeah, sorry, I-…”

“Are you apologizing to me?” Matt mocked him but he noticed Jordon was out of it and sighed. “It’s Danny, isn’t it?”

“Still not talking about it”, Jordon grumbled. Matt had tried to talk about Danny to him before but Jordon really didn’t need another talk about how it wasn’t supposed to happen in the first place. How it spared them a fight with his father. He’d covered that with his mother, he agreed and now he was just quietly trying to get over the Beast. Let him.

“Don’t you ever wonder why I never walked in on the two of you in the morning?” Matt asked, not bothering to wait for a response. “Because I knew. I knew from the first day you jumped across the room.”

“So?” Jordon grumbled.

The servant sighed. “Just because he was programmed to love you, doesn’t mean it wasn’t real. Daniel’s human. A modified one, but still human. Your relationship was real.”

With that, Matt left the room and Jordon blinked confused, trying to grasp what that statement was about but he gave up rather quickly. What was the point? His relationship had been real, but Danny was gone. Instead, he turned back to his work and submersed himself in the files. Skipping dinner once again.

***

“I am so proud of you”, Terrell Senior beamed. “Your reports are truly flawless.”

“Thanks”, Jordon lifelessly muttered, poking around the peas on his plate. He tried to keep his eyes there because looking up, would inevitably mean he’d look at Daniel and he couldn’t bear to do so.

It had been nearly two weeks since Danny’s memory was wiped clean. Jordon had barely agreed to have dinner with his parents anymore, just to avoid Daniel, but tonight they had asked him to join them. Actually, his mother asked him to join them because she was worried Jordon was slipping away from her. The banter with Matt had stilled, the snappy comments to his father were gone and his overall just Jordon behaviour had changed into the obedient son his father wanted for him. Jordon supposed Decker had been right about one thing;

Love was the strongest connection between two people.

Jordon had loved and he had lost. He thought work would distract him enough to get over it but it only seemed to keep his father at bay while Jordon sunk lower into his sorrow. He allowed himself one glance in Daniel’s direction, finding the Beast’s eyes on him.

At least he gained that much from the blonde.

Jordon excused himself to leave the table and dragged his feet upstairs once again. The same old ways to spend his time alone, sulking and brooding over what happened. Jordon didn’t want to be this mess of a person and he had tried to keep himself together but it just wasn’t working for him. He dropped on his desk chair with a sigh.

A knock on his door surprised him. Matt had stopped trying to talk to Jordon a while back. “Come in.”

He was surprised to find the Beast walk inside his door. The blonde entered the room, looking around and taking the space in. Since losing his memory he hadn’t been there anymore. Jordon wondered if he even remembered the place.

“What are you doing here?” Jordon asked, knowing very well it came out rude.

Daniel fixed his gaze on him like he only just noticed Jordon. “When I first came to this house, I was shown around. I remember every room, but not this one.”

“I showed you around”, Jordon hummed.

Daniel nodded as he took the information in. “And we’ve had conversations I don’t remember?”

“Yeah”, Jordon replied, voice growing quiet. The Beast skimmed the walls, looking over the music posters. “You must be into music.”

“Again, we’ve had that conversation before.”

The look in Daniel’s eyes was one of insecurity. “Why can’t I remember?”

“Decker erased your memory”, Jordon said. Daniel sat down on the bed, looking around as he did so. He wriggled slightly, a puzzled look on his face. “Why?”

“You got too close to me”, Jordon muttered. He snorted, smile tugging at his lips. “You picked me as your true master and broke the bond with my parents cause you only listened to me. You liked me for my honesty… liked me because I cared about your wellbeing. I didn’t boss you around like my dad.”

Daniel furrowed his eyebrows at the mention of Terrel Senior but cocked his head in curiosity. “You cared about me?”

“Yeah”, Jordon said, smile melting. “I loved you.”

Jordon didn’t know what reaction he had expected from Daniel but he hadn’t really expected the man to sit on the bed and look at him. Just look at him. Nothing else. “You loved me?”

Jordon nodded, rubbing his face with a sigh. “I still do.”

“Were we not happy?” Daniel asked, taking Jordon aback.

“What?”

“Were we not happy that Jay erased my memories of you?”

“No, we were… we were happy but he didn’t like our relationship”, Jordon cleared his throat, finally feeling tears burn behind his eyes. He really didn’t want to cry right now. Daniel shook his head. “That’s not right. Why would he take away something that made us happy?”

“He didn’t want me to ‘take advantage of you’”, Jordon scoffed. “Despite the fact you said you wanted me to want you.”

He realized he might be opening up too much to Daniel as this Beast, looking exactly like his Danny, wasn’t his Danny. He had to remember that. This Beast could report everything to his father and it would all go to hell.

“I don’t like that look on your face”, Daniel said.

Jordon looked up. “What look?”

“That look. You look sad”, the Beast scooted closer until he sat on the end of the bed, the closest possible to Jordon on his desk chair. “I want you to be happy.”

“Why? I’m not even your owner, let alone your master, anymore”, Jordon sulked, feeling the tears well up. He blinked them away into the dim light of his room. Daniel shrugged. “I feel off when you look like that. It’s not right. I can’t remember the things you’ve mentioned but it’s not right to take it away when we were happy.”

“Thanks, but you don’t have to pity me”, Jordon said, wiping a stray tear on his sleeve. “I don’t need that from you.”

Daniel seemed puzzled. “It’s not pity. I wanna remember.”

“I wanna forget”, Jordon pleaded. “Please, Danny.”

The Beast pouted. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance between him and Jordon to kiss him. Just to try and see what it had been like, since the man seemed to be so damn upset over losing it. Jordon was taken aback, staring at the Beast in shock as he returned to his previous spot.
There was a moment of silence when they didn’t move before Daniel smiled to reveal his platinum teeth, pupils dilating as hazel eyes looked into blue ones.

***

Jordon’s hardships were far from over. Now that Danny’s memories had returned to him and the Beast realized he loved him, Jordon had chosen to be in a relationship with his beautiful Golden Beast. Jordon couldn’t have been more thrilled to know Danny had fallen in love with him all over again, despite not being programmed to this time. Only Dylan knew of this recent change and expressed his full support as he and Johnny were done denying their relationship as well. It felt nice to have a best friend who knew exactly what you were going through.

A relationship with a Beast wouldn’t be accepted by the mass but Jordon was tackling one problem at a time. Despite obeying Terrel Senior, Danny didn’t do it out of love for his master. He did it so Decker wouldn’t erase his memory again but truth be told, his love for Jordon made the bond with his parents fall apart again.

Speaking of his parents. Jordon did not look forward to telling his father about his relationship with Danny or his general preference of men. Again though, he was only tackling one issue at a time. Plus something told him his mother would fully support him in the process. For now he decided he would only tell his father once he was on his deathbed and Jordon already got the company on his name. Yeah, that was a rock-solid plan. He couldn’t bear destroy the positive image his father had of him after all of the hard work he put into the company files so far. Though he was sure Matt and his mother knew. They always knew.

“What are you thinking of?” Danny muttered into the back of Jordon’s neck. The younger shrugged. “Just… the future and stuff.”

The Beast kissed his cheek. “One problem at a time.”

“That’s what I was thinking”, Jordon chuckled. “I’m just so fucking happy to have you back.”

Though when Matt knocked on his door, the two scooted away from each other as far as possible before the servant entered. “Jordon, Dylan’s waiting for you downstairs.”

Jordon nodded. “I’ll be down in five minutes.”

“No quickies”, Matt teased before shutting the door again. See? He knew. Danny chuckled at the exchange, giving Jordon a fond look before whisking him out the door to go meet Dylan. Jordon gave the older a quick peck to the lips before leaving.

Maybe the circumstances of his relationship weren’t exactly perfect but as long as he had Danny – HIS Danny, not Daniel – he had a feeling things were gonna be just fine.