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My throat closed up. This was it. He’d started seeing one of the wrestlers in secret. I quickly tried to guess which one. Vince? Larkin talked about the ghoul’s long tongue a lot. Dan? He also mused constantly about what it would be like to fuck someone whose head wasn’t attached to the rest of them, making a whole slew of unusual sexual positions viable.

Swallowing thickly, I gave him a slight nod. Don’t react. Whatever he tells you, just don’t react.

“So…” He squirmed, fiddling with a pen and keeping his eyes averted. “Some of the wrestlers have… you know… made it pretty clear that they’d be down to…”

I stayed silent as he trailed off, dreading what I was about to hear.

“And I want to,” he rushed out. My heart cracked, just a little. “I really want to. Like, so bad. But the thing is…”

His wings were splayed wide behind him, betraying his nerves. They shivered rapidly, the jewel tones glittering in the glow of the neon Goliaths of Wrestling sign on the wall.

Larkin’s face was a deep blue, and his right knee was bouncing rapidly under his desk as he mumbled, “Imavirgin.”

It took a few seconds for my brain to process what he’d just said. And when it did, I couldn’t say I was all that surprised. I’d seen the signs of it making him nervous when things got a bit too hot and heavy with the wrestlers.

It made sense. That was what had been holding him back from actually taking any of them up on their offers.

But I had no idea why he was telling me.

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” I said calmly, closing my crossword book to give him my full attention.

“I know, but…” Larkin squirmed again. “They’re all so… freaking hot and experienced and… I don’t want to… you know. Make a total dingus out of myself.”

I let out a slow, silent breath. So that was why he was so edgy and nervous. He was worried about his lack of experience. My chest ached a little. God, what I wouldn’t give to gather him into my arms and hold him on my lap. Just hold him and make him feel better.

“Larkin,” I began steadily, “No decent person would ever make you feel bad for—”

“So I was wondering.” He spoke over me, voice a touch too loud and filled once again with intense nerves. My mouth snapped shut, my whole body going rigid. “I was just wondering… I was wondering if… maybe… you’d be willing to help me out.”

I stared at him in stunned silence, then cautiously echoed, “Help you… out?”

He nodded, taking a deep breath and meeting my gaze. “Help me practise.”

All the blood in my head rushed south and pooled in my cock, thickening it instantly. My scalp went numb. My fingers spasmed and my toes curled.

“What?” I rasped.

He groaned and squirmed, desk chair jerking side to side. “Come on, bro, you know what I mean. Help me practise. Help me… get over those first hurdles, so to speak. Lose my V-card and learn how to… do stuff.”

My cock was so hard that I was genuinely worried the fabric of my pants wouldn’t hold up against its straining length, but my brain wasn’t yet fully on board, despite my body clamouring for me to agree. I was still confused. And my chest kind of hurt over what this actually meant.

Larkin wanted to fuck the wrestlers, he just wanted to rack up some experience first. This wasn’t about him wanting to have sex with me.

“Are you asking me to take your virginity, Larkin?” I asked hoarsely.

He huffed, but his face was still flushed with embarrassment. “I mean, I guess, but purely in a… student-and-teacher kinda way. You’d be, like… my fuckletics instructor. It’d just be practice. You teaching me stuff.”

“What stuff?” I couldn’t help but ask. He fidgeted self-consciously.

“Just… all of it. I want to actually know what I’m doing when I hook up with some of the wrestlers.” He gave me a look that was both defiant and vulnerable. “I want to be good.”

This was madness. It was insane. Why hadn’t I already gently told him no? Assured him that no decent person would care that he was inexperienced, and if they did, he shouldn’t have sex with them anyway?

I couldn’t be his “fuckletics instructor.” There was no way in hell my heart would survive having sex with Larkin, being that close to him, only for him to eventually tell me, “Thanks for the lessons, bro!” and move on to fuck his way through the Goliaths. I’d crumble. I’d lose it.

“Why me?” I heard myself ask, my voice thick.

He flushed an even deeper blue, looking down at his desk with a jerky shrug. “I dunno, man, because you’re…”