The garage door creaked halfway open, letting in slanted rays of setting sunlight that glinted off Zi Yu's lip piercing as he leaned against the workbench. His gaze never left Caleb—from the way his fingers brushed Jackson's arm when passing a beer, to the easy smile that made something primal twist in Zi Yu's gut.

He'd been patient long enough.

Caleb's laughter cut off abruptly as Zi Yu closed the distance in three strides, hand slamming against the wall beside Caleb's head, blocking any escape. The sound of Jackson's chair scraping back seemed distant, irrelevant compared to the rapid rise and fall of Caleb's chest.

"You think I've been watching this little show all afternoon for my health?" Zi Yu's voice dropped to a low growl, fingers tangling in Caleb's hair to tilt his head back, forcing eye contact. "You think I don't notice how you look at me when you think I'm not paying attention?"

Caleb's breath hitched, eyes wide with a mixture of fear and something else—something that made Zi Yu's嘴角上扬 in a dangerous smirk. "Cat got your tongue, pretty boy?" His thumb brushed Caleb's lower lip, applying just enough pressure to leave a faint red mark. "Or are you finally ready to admit what we both know?"

Behind them, Jackson cleared his throat. "Zi Yu, maybe you should—"

"Shut up," Zi Yu snapped without turning, his grip tightening in Caleb's hair until a soft whimper escaped those perfect lips. "Unless you want to watch. Maybe that's what you're into, huh? Watching me take what's mine?"

The air crackled with tension, thick and heavy with the scent of motor oil and something sweeter—fear, arousal, inevitability. Zi Yu could taste it on the tip of his tongue, almost as sweet as Caleb would be when he finally stopped fighting.

"Tell me to stop," he whispered, his mouth inches from Caleb's, "and I will. But we both know you won't."

Caleb's lips parted, a shaky breath escaping. And in that moment, Zi Yu knew—he'd already won.