* * * * * The final part to this story, where Stan and Connor reach an understanding, and Stan makes sure everyone, including Darren, gets what they need. * * * * *
Connor wakes with Stan's arm thrown across him and realises someone else is in the room. He focuses and sees Darren sitting on the side of the bed opposite.
He props himself up on his elbow. "What are you doing here?"
"He said to come," says Darren, and Connor glances back at Stan. Stan whose hazel eyes are open now, calmly watching him.
"What are you playing at?" Connor says to Stan.
Stan strokes his back. "Just relax. Everything's okay."
Connor gives him a look of irritation. He starts to move, to get off the bed, but Stan pulls him back.
"Get off!" Connor tries to pull Stan's arm away, but Stan's grip is tight, his forearm solid.
Connor's stunned, and a little alarmed. Stan's never disobeyed him before.
"Stanton, do not push your fucking luck." His voice is cold.
Inside Stan, something sparks at the anger in his lover's voice, wanting to obey. But as much as he craves Connor's dominance, he knows things need to change. He's been steadily coming to the conclusion that this is not who Connor's supposed to be. Connor might think it is, but he's just feeding his darkness, not exorcising it.
Stan rolls Connor back towards him, and Connor loses his composure. There's a brief struggle where Connor throws an arm around Stan's neck to try and force him to let go, but Stan rolls away and is on his knees in seconds and on top of Connor, pinning him flat to the bed with his weight, while the other boy does his best to dislodge him.
"Connor, stop!"
Stan wraps Connor's arms across the other boy's chest and pins them there.
Connor keeps struggling, but Stan's been building himself for months now, and he really is that much stronger than his roommate.
When Connor realises Stan's not letting him up, he goes still, his chest heaving with the exertion of the struggle, flecks of spit on his lips, rage in his eyes. The second Stanton lets him up, Connor's punching him in the face and then he's leaving. And he's not coming back.
But as Stan holds Connor down, his gaze is kind.
"Just be with us," he says to Connor. "That's all we want from you."
Connor rolls his eyes, but Stan ignores him and gestures to Darren with his head.
"Come over here."
The younger boy approaches the bed warily.
"Get on the other side of the bed," says Stan, and Darren climbs over the other two boys and presses himself against the wall.
Connor turns his dark gaze on Darren, and the younger boy shrinks under his anger. But his trust's in Stan now. Stan, who Darren knows won't let anything bad happen to him.
"I'm going to let you go now," Stan says to Connor. "Just stay calm. Okay?"
Connor stares at him for a long moment, and Stan takes that as assent.
He moves his weight off his lover and shifts to the far side of him, so that Connor's stuck between him and Darren. The bed's a king single, so it's intimate.
Stan props himself up on his elbow and places a hand on his lover's chest, feeling the other boy's tension under his hand.
It's silent for a moment, then Connor's jumps as Darren snakes his arm across the older boy's chest and buries his head against Connor's side.
Stan smiles over at Darren. "Look at him." He lifts a hand to comb it through Darren's hair. "He's not going to turn on you. You don't need to cut him down to keep safe."
Connor rolls his eyes again, not willing to admit he's done anything wrong. But the feel of Darren's breath against his side, and the warmth of the younger boy's arm across his chest, is pleasant.
"But if he's yours, you've got to take care of him," Stan says quietly. "What Xavier did to you was unforgivable. But that doesn't mean you have to be the same way."
Connor shakes his head, urging Stan to stop talking. But Stan's not even halfway done.
"I'm yours too," he says gentlyβthen, not without kindness, "And you're
mine
."
Connor's eyes are ink-dark and wary. He doesn't like the sound of possession when it applies to him. It puts him back on a couch between Xavier and his mates, Xavier's 'boy'.
Stan indicates Darren with his head. "And
he's
mine now, too."
Darren glances up at him and grins. He nuzzles against Connor's neck.
This is getting ridiculous. To Connor, it feels like some kind of group hug therapy for the simple.
He shakes his head. "Stanton, what the fuck have you done?"
Stanton moves in to kiss under Connor's jaw. "I'm setting you free."
He runs his hand down Connor's body, and taking his cue from the older boy, Darren moves himself up on his elbows and tries to kiss Connor.
"Yeah, no," says Connor, putting a hand against Darren's face and pushing him back.
His affection rejected, Darren presses himself back against the wall, his eyes full of hurt.
Connor gives Stan a cool look. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but that's not how this works. You belong to me or you fuck off. You've always known that."
Stan puts his hand on Connor's head and turns him to face Darren.
"See that look? Don't do that to him. Don't ever do that to anyone."
Connor shakes his hand off with irritation.
"What do you want from me, Stanton?"
"You," says Stan, his hand moving against the first stirrings of Connor's erection. "You, before Xavier broke you."
Connor tries to get past Stan, but Stan pushes him back against the bed.
"Give it a chance. That's all I'm asking."
Connor's eyes blaze with anger. "I'm going now."
He struggles to get past Stan again, and this time Stan lets him go.
Connor pulls on his clothes and leaves the dorm room, slamming the door behind him.
"That went well," says Darren.
Stan sighs. "I'll try talking to him again later."
Darren snakes his arms around Stan from behind and Stan rolls over to face him, kissing the younger boy on the mouth, feeling himself stir despite the fight that's just taken place.