Chapter 49 - Picking Up The Pieces

Absolute disbelief filled the room, thickening the air and making it hard to breathe. The surreal moment demanded pause from each witness. No one moved. No one even blinked.

Emotions had been running high– sure, but the intensity of the situation hadn't yet crossed the threshold of requiring violence. It could have been settled peacefully. That was the most prevalent opinion in the room, at least.

Evidently, Lily saw it differently, and since she held the knife, her opinion was the only one that mattered.

There Michael stood.. with a giant kitchen knife piercing his back, placed there, impaled there, by his loving and seemingly psychotic girlfriend, Lily.

Lily of all people. Michael's longtime partner. The sweetest fucking couple around. The nerdiest love birds in the whole streaming industry. Josh had come in and corrupted their relationship, but the immediate aftermath surpassed all exaggerated expectations. It was real life hyperbole. It was absurd. It didn't make sense.

Imane's hand shot up to cover her open mouth. Kyedae had two hands on hers and her eyes were as wide as saucers.

But somehow, Lily appeared to be the most stunned person in the room. She looked at her right hand as if it wasn't her own; as if it didn't just turn a kitchen utensil into a potential murder weapon.

These reactions all happened within seconds. Shock paralyzed the women in the room, but someone had to act. Luckily for them, Josh had too much on the line not to.

Without hesitation, he stepped forward to grab Michael's body, which had just begun to collapse onto the floor. Josh gently placed him on his stomach as blood began to flood from the wound.

He quickly analyzed the gash and the knife, doing his best to keep Michael's body steady. The incision was deep. Too deep to pull the knife out. It was likely stemming some of the bleeding, and that would work in their favor.

They would need as many advantages and as much luck as possible.. because Michael's bleeding was worsening by the second.

As Josh decided to keep the knife in place, he put pressure on both sides of the wound and looked up.

With urgency, he ordered Imane to fetch two belts. "Fucking now, okay? I need them yesterday. First two you can find."

Poki jumped at first. Josh's voice was as blunt as always, but in a much different way this time. The adrenaline in his words was clear. Perhaps there was fear in there, too. It wasn't something she could analyze for long though, so she nodded meekly and ran off.

Josh then turned to Kyedae and said, "I need you to open the front door, keep it propped open, and uh, start whatever car is parked out front. Needs.. needs to be an SUV. And open that fucking gate, got it?"

Kyedae shook out of her frozen state. The alarm in Josh's tone was sobering. She nodded before heading to the front door, barefooted and still wearing her skimpy bikini. If someone's life hadn't been on the line, Josh would've taken a moment to appreciate her ass as it bounced away.

It was an unaffordable luxury though. Josh remained focused as he turned to Lily and gave her the most important task yet.

"I need you to call 911," he demanded in a straightforward manner.

Lily's face was clearly still horrified from her own actions. "911? Me? No.. no. I can't.. how could I? Michael! I'm so sorry.."

"Lily, there's no time, okay? I need you to call 911. Now."

"No," she whispered as she watched the blood pool on the floor. "It's too late. They'll.. they'll arrest me.. they'll arrest all of us! I killed him! Everything.. everything is ruined! I didn't mean to do it.. please! Michael, please be okay!"

Lily's heart swelled with deep regret as she stared at her dying boyfriend.

"Lily, look at me," Josh managed to say without yelling. She was clearly frazzled. Her whole body was shaking, and yelling wouldn't help her see reason. "No one is going to get arrested, okay? Everything.. is going to be fine. I'm going to fix this. Michael is going to be okay, and everything will go back to normal, but you have to listen to me. You have to."

His assurance that things would work out was all Lily needed. She looked Josh in the eyes as her uncertainty visibly dissipated and nodded slowly.

Realizing that she might need exact instructions, Josh explained her responsibilities step by step. "Go grab your phone and dial 911. I think you left it out in the backyard.. by the hot tub, okay? Tell them exactly what happened. Michael, your boyfriend, has been stabbed. He needs an ambulance right away. Give them our address."

Lily continued nodding and mumbled the directions back. "Ambulance right away.. give address.."

"They're going to ask you how he was stabbed," Josh continued, swallowing hard before he spoke his next words. "You're going to be honest. He was out of control. He was mad, tensions were high, and I stabbed him."

Lily's eyes shot open. "You.. you stabbed him?"

"Yes, damn it, Lily," Josh replied as blood gushed around his hands. "I stabbed him. I.. I didn't know what he was going to do. He was yelling at you guys, and.. fuck, that sounds so pathetic. Oh man, this is screwed. Whatever– there's no way around it now. Just.. I stabbed him, and you watched, okay? That's all you did."

"But.. you didn't! It was me. I fucked up! You can't–"

"There's no more time," Josh interrupted her as blood continued flowing onto the floor. He thought for a moment and added, "After you ask for an ambulance, tell them that we're driving to the hospital instead. They.. they won't get here in time to help him. No more questions.. just do it, okay? You got this."

With those final words, he quickly stood up and scanned the living room. He could see Lily run outside to grab her phone with his peripheral vision, but she wasn't his current focus. Thinking on his feet, he inspected the coffee table and removed the large glass top from its frame. It was rectangular and perfectly long enough for Michael's body. He placed it next to Michael and carefully transferred his unconscious body until he was squarely on top of the makeshift stretcher.

The knife stared back at him, as daunting as ever. One stupid fucking knife was about to ruin all of his plans.

Imane showed up a moment later with an armful of belts, more than Josh asked for, and they hastily fastened them around Michael's lower abdomen to maintain pressure on the wound. Josh used two longer belts to secure him onto the glass, and that was when Valkyrae walked downstairs.

Wearing nothing but a towel to cover her body, she stumbled onto a horrifying scene. "Hey, what's with all the shouting? I'm trying to take a bath up here. A peaceful bath! And– and.. oh my god.. what the.. oh my god!"

Her face immediately shot from Michael's bloody body to Josh. "What did you do? What the fuck did you do? What happened?" she shouted as she ran down the rest of the stairs and into the living room.

The hasty insinuation was telling. It revealed the distrust that was hidden within their complex relationship, all of which flew over Josh's head. Of all the people in the home, Rae was really the only one to recognize what harm could come from their degenerate decline in morality.

But even she couldn't have predicted something like this, and Josh couldn't give Rae the explanations she was looking for. His focus was on Michael. After he tugged on the belts to ensure they would hold, Josh lifted the glass panel to waist level, raising Michael's body along with it, and briefly paused to look at Rae.

"No time to explain. Throw some clothes on and get clothes for all the girls," he said as he looked to Imane and realized everyone was still in their bikinis. "If you're not in the car in thirty seconds, meet us at the nearest hospital."

His voice was urgent and intentional. He said what he needed to and immediately rushed out the propped open front door. Imane rushed behind him to help with anything she could, and Lily followed shortly after hanging up with emergency services.

Rae stuttered as if she had more to say, but there was no one there to say it to. She had no idea what was going on, and she was terrified for her friend's well-being. Despite all that, she did exactly as Josh asked. She ran back up the stairs, stumbling along the way, and tore four hoodies off of their hangers, breaking a few in the process. Reaching further up in her walk-in closet, she snatched a stack of neatly folded sweatpants and bolted back down the stairs.

Her mind was racing, and her heart was beating even faster. She didn't want to be left behind. Skipping steps as she ran down the stairs, she jumped off at the bottom and used that momentum to boost herself out the front door and towards the stalled vehicle, not wasting a moment to turn off any lights or close any doors. Her towel was just barely hanging onto her body.

The SUV was chaotic with Josh instructing Lily to keep pressure on the wound, Kyedae shouting out directions for the closest emergency room, and Imane doing her best to secure the seatbelts on the glass panel. Rae didn't bother to ask the questions that were plaguing her head. She just opened up the back, threw in the pile of clothes, and rolled in like it was an action movie.

The car began moving just as she managed to close the door, which forced her body to press against the window pane until she steadied herself. If she was a second slower with shutting the rear door, she likely would've fallen out, and she wondered if anyone would have even noticed.

Poki looked back a moment later, peering over the backseat and reached out to hold her hand. A small gesture, but an affectionate one.

Imane would have noticed for sure.

They shared somber glances that eased the tension a little bit. Regardless of the circumstances, they were all in it together.

Josh maneuvered through traffic like a madman. It was dark out, making the impromptu ambulance ride even more dangerous. He had his hazard lights on and was honking at anyone who wouldn't move out of the way. He passed cars on the shoulder, flew through red lights as cautiously as one could with oncoming traffic, and at one point, drove over the curb and onto a sidewalk to avoid a mess of traffic that was slowing them down at an intersection. Pedestrians scattered out of the way, unaware of the medical emergency in the vehicle they were barrel rolling to avoid.

Kyedae was riding shotgun, feeding Josh exact instructions to make sure he knew what turns he needed to make well in advance.

"You're making a left turn at the next intersection," she informed him. "I think there are two lanes.. uhm, use.. use the right one, because we have another turn a mile after that."

His driving was disorderly, necessarily so, but giving him a heads up on the navigation would make the drive safer for everyone.

Rae and Imane were both extremely grateful to be in the back seats. They knew Josh was just trying to get to the hospital as quickly as he could, but they weren't sure they could have pulled off a few of his driving maneuvers if they were in the same position, and Kyedae's task seemed equally as stressful.

Their job was to take care of Michael. Lily was, of course, keeping pressure on his wound, and they were helping to keep his body as steady as possible, a task which absolutely required multiple people.

A few minutes into the car ride, after tensions leveled off slightly, Rae captured a moment of peace and decided to gather information on their situation.

"What the hell happened?" Rae whispered towards Lily as tears streaked down her face. Her voice was purposely low so only Lily and Imane could hear. She didn't want to distract Josh in any way, but she also wanted the truth, and Lily might not be as forthcoming if Josh was a part of the conversation.

Her emotional friend simply looked up and shook her head, clearly on the verge of bawling her eyes out. Imane noticed this immediately and leaned over to hold her friend close. Guilt drowned Rae's curiosity as she realized her questions were poorly timed and a bit selfish.

"It's going to be okay," Imane murmured. "He's going to be fine, and we're all going to laugh about this in a few days. It.. it'll be a funny inside joke we can tell each other. We just have to get through this hard part first, okay?"

Lily rested her head on Imane's shoulder and closed her eyes, clearly comforted by her friend's kind words.

They arrived at the hospital shortly after. By some miracle, they didn't cross paths with any police along their route. Kyedae sprinted towards the emergency room entrance to alert the medical staff while Josh hopped out and got Michael out of the vehicle. Imane, Rae, and Lily all helped out with the seatbelts as three nurses rushed out with a stretcher in tow.

Lily wanted to help and come with them, but the medical professionals took over as soon as Michael was secured onto the gurney. The issue with their patient was obvious and needed no further explanation.

The group just stood there, watching as their friend was wheeled away.

That was the first time they all felt like they could breathe. They were barefooted, dressed in nothing but their swimsuits, some of which were still damp. Rae retreated to the car before anyone else, given that she was only dressed in a towel, and put on her pair of sweats and her sweater before crawling back out and handing out the rest of the clothes.

The girls dressed themselves as Josh rinsed off his bloody hands with a water bottle.

"Well, fuck me," he blurted out, breaking the odd silence. "That was like a goddamn Grand Theft Auto mission. I've never done anything like that."

The girls turned towards him and mostly replied with weak smiles. "You did really well," Imane remarked in reference to his driving. "The ambulances here take forever to respond, and LA traffic would've slowed us down by another ten minutes if you didn't do some of the stuff you did."

Lily nodded in agreement.

"You did great," Kyedae added with a bleak smirk. "But you had a good helper, too."

Josh chuckled. "You were impressive, Kyedae. As soon as we saw that huge build up of cars on Lincoln Ave, you rerouted me like that," Josh remarked with a snap of his fingers.

Kyedae's smile grew warmer as the adrenaline of the whole situation began to die down. She didn't respond verbally, but the appreciation was there.

After a few more moments of silence, Josh added, "I just hope he's okay."

"Oh, really?" Rae asked spitefully, surprising everyone. She was doing her best to keep her composure, pacing slightly until everyone was relaxed enough for her questions, but for all she knew, Josh was the one who stabbed their dear friend. "I mean, with Michael gone, you'd have Lily all to yourself. Isn't that exactly what you want? Sex is not the only thing that matters!"

The group went quiet for a few seconds. Imane and Kyedae kept glancing at Josh, but it was clear that he had no intention of revealing what actually happened.

He was protecting Lily. At his own expense. And this didn't go unnoticed by the girls.

Lily finally stepped in to disrupt Valky's staredown. "Rae, it.. it wasn't him. He didn't do anything. All he's done is try to clean up my mess. It was me, okay? I.. I stabbed him."

Rae's face contorted from angry to simply confused.

"Why?" she asked. "Why on earth would you do that? You know, you don't have to protect him, Lily."

"I'm not protecting anyone. That's what happened! Michael was yelling. He was angry at everyone.. I don't know. He.. he figured it out."

Rae quickly put two and two together. "He caught you guys?" she asked, referring to the incredibly loud sex that Josh and Lily were having earlier that night. She heard it all the way in her own room, which had fueled an intense masturbation session.

Lily shook her head. "No, no. He didn't catch us. That.. fuck, that would've been a disaster. No, he was outside during.. while I was cheating on him. No, he said something about having it all on tape. Something about Tyson, I think. I don't know. He must've talked to him and connected the dots somehow."

Kyedae shifted in her standing position and became visibly worried.

"So he got mad, and.. you," Rae continued, looking around to make sure no one else could hear. "You stabbed him?"

"He was yelling at Kyedae, asking her if Tyson knew what she was doing, and at Imane for being a bad friend, and at Josh.. he said he was going to show everyone. I don't know. My protective instincts just kicked in.. I was seeing red, and.. and.. the knife was right there on the counter."

Everyone was listening intently. Rae didn't see what happened, so her curiosity was more than understandable, but the rest of them were just as confused by Lily's bizarre behavior, even after having witnessed it themselves, so they wanted to hear Lily's reasoning just as much as Rae did.

"I didn't want to lose all of this. I felt like I just got invited into a weird sex cult, and oh my god, I was light-headed from how good it felt. Not just the sex, as amazing as that was, heh. Just.. being included, I guess. Being included in something so.. dirty, and with all my friends! It felt good.. before.. before," she said, unable to find the words to finish her sentence. Instead, she raised her hand and moved it back and forth in a stabbing motion.

Her words took a few seconds for everyone to digest.

"So basically, you're just as much of a freak as the rest of us," Imane replied in an attempt to lighten the mood. Lust, jealousy, fear.. all of these emotions were understandable, given the complexity of their new dynamic, and each one could solely be responsible for erratic behavior.

Lily chuckled and looked up to see Kyedae and Rae smiling as well.

"We've all done some.. pretty fucked up stuff," Kyedae added reassuringly as highlights from the past several days spun around in her head.

Rae felt the need to chime in. "Within reason, of course. We haven't stabbed anyone before. That's a line that–"

"Don't even," Kyedae interjected. "You and Poki literally sat down and helped Josh plan how he could get into my pants. And.. oh, I don't think I even need to mention the tarp, do I? With Tyson?"

Rae understood her reference and showed off a guilty frown, shaking her head to dissuade any further descriptions.

"That's what I thought. No moral high horse for you," Kyedae gloated. "We're all in this together."

"Agreeeeeed," Rae conceded with Lily and Imane joining in.

Another few moments of hushed glances arrived before further conversation.

"I can't believe you really thought that I stabbed him," Josh asked, finally inserting himself into the conversation. The girls seemed to be working it out themselves, but Rae's wavering loyalty had been bugging him.

"Oh my god! I don't know. It made the most sense.. more sense than this!" she remarked, waving her hand towards Lily.

"Sure, but I would've just knocked him out. What would I need a knife for?"

"Ehh, yeah.. okay, that's true," Rae admitted with a quick glance at his muscular arms. If Michael ever presented an actual threat, Josh surely would have neutralized it with one swift swing of his fist. "Everything was so intense. I didn't know what to think! I.. I'm sorry, okay?"

Josh smirked and nodded, dismissing her need to apologize.

Lily walked over to Josh, who was sitting sideways in the passenger seat with the door open. She held her hands out, prompting Josh to pour the rest of the water so she could clean off the blood. They were the only two with blood on their hands, so to speak.

"I'm not going to catch anything, am I?" Josh mustered out as Lily rubbed her small hands together. "No STDs or other diseases I should know about?"

"Really?" Lily said with a slight giggle. "I'm assuming you've had sex with every girl here, but you're worried about STDs from Michael?"

A chorus of laughs emitted from the group, and the mood seemed to shift in a positive manner. Their friend was in a bad way, but he was getting the best care possible, and nothing they did from outside would help his situation.

"So he really has had sex with all of us?" Lily asked again, wanting to confirm her suspicions.

Poki, Kyedae, and Rae all nodded, glancing at each other with knowing glares.

"Fuck, I have so many questions," Lily confessed, antsy to find out how far Josh's control over her friends went. "But I think we're out of time."

The group looked at her curiously. "Uhm.. the police. I called them. Josh asked me to."

Josh suddenly remembered that detail and cursed himself. He was hoping to get a blowjob in the car while they waited for news about Michael, but there were consequences that he'd have to face before that happened.

"Yeah," he began to say as each of his whores listened carefully. "Not calling for an ambulance would've looked suspicious. They're probably going to question all of us, and we all need to give the same story.. so I guess I might not be seeing you for a while."

Kyedae, Poki, and Rae all looked confused.

"What?" Kyedae asked. "Why not?"

"He told me to tell them that he's the one who stabbed Michael," Lily hesitantly interjected. That detail wasn't known to the rest of the group in the midst of all the chaos, and they reacted just as she thought they would.

With shock, almost to the point of anger.

"Why would you do that?" Kyedae asked aggressively as she stepped towards Josh and punched his arm three times.

The reason was obvious though. Josh's need to protect Lily didn't need to be explained. The silence that followed did that for him.

Imane shook her head a few moments later. "Don't be silly. We.. we can post your bail. It's not like any of us are hurting for cash! We'll see you very soon."

Rae agreed. "You don't have a record or anything, right? No reason they might deem you a flight risk?"

Josh shook his head and then laughed. "I just realized how little we actually know each other. I could have murder on my rap sheet and you guys wouldn't know."

Guilty looks spread across girls' faces. Sexual attraction had accelerated their relationships with Josh, so that time where couples got to know each other wasn't exactly a big priority for them, not that they were official couples in the first place.

"It doesn't matter," Kyedae blurted out. "He'll still be arrested and charged. He'll have a mugshot and it'll be public and.. and.. people will know. It'll be news. They'll know Josh stabbed Michael, and we'll never be able to go out in public with him or show him on stream.. not without being questioned. Why would we be hanging out with someone who hurt our friend?"

Kyedae was right. There weren't enough lies in the world to explain that away. Not to drama hungry OfflineTV fans and cynics.

"Uhm, we.. we won't have to worry about that," Lily mumbled out.

"Huh?" Imane asked, searching for clarity.

"The police.. I didn't tell them what Josh wanted me to."

Wide eyes shot in her direction. Four pairs of them. She was certainly getting her fair share of attention tonight.

"Lily, why the fuck are you being so stringent with information? What did you tell them?" Josh asked, stepping out of the car in an aggressive manner.

He had been in control of the situation. Everyone had been following his instructions, and things seemed to go as smoothly as they could have. He could control the outcome if he micromanaged the girls' responsibilities. Even the follow up seemed like it would play out okay, as long as Lily had done her part, but that was seemingly not the case.

Lily looked at him in hesitation. "I didn't tell them that you stabbed Michael. I know you wanted me to, but I didn't! I.. I didn't want you to take the blame. I wouldn't be able to sleep if something happened to you! So.. I.. I kinda made something up."

She had everyone's attention. "I didn't say he was stabbed at all. I told them that it was an accident. We were drinking, and.. ehm, we grabbed the knife to play that.. uhm, that knife roulette game. The one where you stab the spaces between your fingers? Well, we were deciding who would go first, and uh.. I was holding the knife.. upwards, I guess. Michael was in the bathroom, didn't know what was going on, and then.. when he came into the living room, he just barrel rolled over the back of the sofa and onto my lap. He does stuff like that! It's.. believable, I think."

Imane stuffed her face in her hands and turned around. "Fuck," she exclaimed.

Rae visibly cringed, and Kyedae grimaced at the story.

It was a stretch. Far-fetched, to be sure.

But it was the tale they would have to stick to. It was already recorded on the 911 call.

Someone had to remain positive, and so, Josh came to Lily's defense. "No, guys.. this could work. It's.. it's not horrible. Crazier things have happened with alcohol involved."

Josh went on to explain what everyone needed to do. First and foremost, he had to make sure everyone had their stories straight, so Josh had Lily recite exactly what she said on the emergency call.

"You didn't mention me at all?" Josh asked in surprise.

"Nope," she replied before looking him in the eyes. "Which is why.. actually, uh.. I think you have to leave."

Before the girls gathered their pitchforks, Lily went on to explain. "If they start asking us questions.. about Josh, who he is, what he was doing there.. I just know they're going to figure it out. He's not a streamer or a longtime friend or anything. I'm not a good liar! I know you aren't either, Rae, and Poki, you suck at lying too. I think I can handle the knife bullshit, if I repeat it enough in my head, but if they ask about Josh.."

"Damn," Imane added. "She.. she might be right. We can only handle so many lies. If they catch even a whiff of something not making sense, this could blow up way more than it needs to."

Kyedae wanted to clarify. "So what? He hides in one of our rooms until this all blows over? He can use mine! Until.. until Tyson finishes his tourney and comes home.."

Rae shook her head. "What if the police want to come to the house and investigate? Oh my god. This is a clusterfuck."

Josh shook his head. "No, no. It won't come to that. They could pull up any minute now, so.. let's just make it easy. Stick to Lily's story. Exactly as she told it. You need to look more sad," Josh said in Lily's direction. He then looked around and added, "You all need to look more sad. I'll just leave until the dust settles. Then you won't have to worry about hiding me around the house or lying more than you need to. Maybe I could go to.. or stay with.. uhm, fuck. I got nothing."

Imane wracked her brain for a solution and smiled as one came to mind. "Well, we have a ton of friends here in LA that wouldn't mind doing us a favor and taking you in. Though, I suppose most of them are girls and it might be a little awkward if you go alone.."

Lily thought it over and agreed. "Yeah, might be weird if we tried to push Josh onto Sydney and Jodi. Or onto Aria."

"Jaime, too," Imane added with a frown. "Leslie, Miyoung.. ugh. We need a place with dudes."

Josh wanted to weigh in. "I don't mind staying with chicks. I've watched all of those girls! Jaime, Sydney, Jodi.. fuck. Aria and those tits! Those melons could keep me busy for a week."

"Josh!" Kyedae exclaimed, muffling a chuckle as she did. "This is just to weather the storm. On short notice! Can't be too blunt about it or else people will catch on and start talking. Everyone is going to know about Michael's accident soon. We can't be suspicious."

"Doesn't mean I can't have some fun," Josh argued with a grin. This might actually work out better than anticipated.

Lily, Rae, and Imane all smirked and rolled their eyes. Despite the circumstances, Josh was still thinking with his dick. It was simultaneously his most annoying and attractive trait. It's why he was able to treat them so poorly during sex. He stopped caring about them as lovers and just used their bodies to pleasure his cock, which gave them pleasure in return.

He was selfish in brutish, sexual ways, but caring when it mattered.

"But I agree," he added. "It does have to come naturally. One chick at a time. Nothing too aggressive. Uhm, any.. any other suggestions?"

Poki tilted her head, as if the solution would untangle itself inside of her brain. Which, consequently, is exactly what happened. Her face beamed suddenly, gaining everyone's attention.

"Have you ever visited Texas?" she asked Josh as a precursor, causing suggestive smirks to creep on everyone's faces after a few moments of thought.

And that's how Josh found himself knocking on the front door of a massive home in Austin, Texas. The borderline mansion was daunting, even to a man as big as Josh. Or perhaps it was what lied within that created the slight intimidation he felt. He had been in such a rush to leave California; rushing to the house to pack, booking the next available flight, stopping back by the hospital to get news on Michael, saying goodbye to everyone, and then racing to the airport.. it was a lot.

And now, he was meeting a whole new group of people. Important people. Big names in the streaming industry that he wanted to dominate.

Sexually, of course. He never cared much about starting his own streaming career. It'd just take time away from treating Imane like a whore or suffocating Lily with his fat cock. Those were his priorities, but this is where they got him. Almost back to square one.

He'd have to be more careful. People were simply too unpredictable.

Josh loved humiliating his lovers and using them like cum dumpsters, but there was way more to his domineering than just sexual gratification. Dominating someone resulted in control, and control meant that he was in charge of the outcome.

People became more docile when he had authority over them. More submissive. More.. predictable.

And the other side of this door was full of people that he had no rapport with. No sway. No authority.

With a dumb flutter in his stomach, Josh knocked and took two steps back, awaiting a warm welcome.

When no one came to the door, he knocked again.

Still, no answer. With a sigh, he took his phone out and checked his texts. Imane had given him Mizkif's phone number for communication purposes, and to his surprise, he had indeed missed a message. It must've come in while climbing in or out of the uber ride from the airport.

Front door should be unlocked. Just let yourself in, think everyone is streaming

They were certainly less concerned about security than the OfflineTV girls were, but at least there wouldn't be a bunch of awkward introductions waiting for him. As social as he was, Josh always considered himself an introvert. Before arriving in LA, video games, Twitch streams, and the gym were his main comforts. It was a peaceful routine. Solitary, but calm.

That time in his life seemed like forever ago. As he turned the knob on the front door, he stepped into the unfamiliar home and found obvious signs that a bunch of guys lived here.

Taking off his shoes, he noticed empty cups all over the living room, throw blankets on the ground, a sink full of dirty dishes, and bags of fast food on the counter. Applebees. Five Guys. Chick-fil-A.

At least they had good taste. The place was dirty, but only in a surface level way. It was clear that a quick 'mom will be home in five minutes' cleaning would restore the place back to a cozy bachelor pad.

Josh set his duffel bag down on the kitchen counter and felt his stomach growl. He had enough time before his flight at LAX to order a burger, but that was several hours ago and his appetite was begging for sustenance once more.

After scanning his surroundings to make sure no one was around, Josh checked the fridge and settled for a hot pocket. Nothing substantial, but it would do the trick. He leaned against the kitchen island as he watched his snack rotate in the microwave, and for whatever reason, he felt his cock stir in his pants. Watching the savory meal must've crossed some wires in his brain and led to an erection.

He hadn't cum since dumping his load onto Lily's face the night before, so anything gluttonous was more than enough to get Josh riled up. He'd kill to have Rae or Kyedae gagging on his cock at that moment. Seeing their eyes panic as the head of his cock stabbed the deepest recesses of their throats, begging for a single breath of fresh air. He'd let them breathe only after the microwave timer was up. Only after his food was ready. Whether they were gasping for air or lying on the floor blacked out when the timer rang, he wouldn't care. He'd be enjoying his delicious hot pocket.

With a chuckle, Josh popped open the radiation box and watched the steam flood out. His hand quickly recoiled at first touch, so he found tongs and used those to carefully extract his blazing hot–

"Who the fuck are you?"

Startled by the sudden questioning, Josh mishandled his hot pocket and watched as it plopped down on the hardwood floor. Tightening his lips to display his disappointment, he looked up to see Emiru standing in front of him.

At about 5'3 and a little over a hundred pounds, she was smaller than he anticipated.

And more beautiful as well. Her eyes were as close to those big anime eyes as a real person could get, aided by the way she did her makeup, and Josh found that to be adorable. She was cute, but her cleavage, tempting his eyes to stray downwards, made her fucking hot.

Her bluntness helped too.

"Hey, fucko. I asked you a question," she reiterated, taking a step backwards in case she needed to run for her roommates.

Not that she was overly concerned. It was normal for random streamers to show up unexpectedly around the home. It was a streamer house after all, but Josh.. well, she simply didn't recognize him.

"Oh, relax," Josh replied dismissively. "I'm friends with Imane. Pokimane? Well, I'm her manager, and she linked me up with Miz, who said I could stay over for a few days while I'm in Austin."

Emiru's slight trepidation subsided. Threat neutralized. "Cool. Sorry, he didn't tell me anything."

Josh shrugged in return. "Do you guys have a roommate group chat? Maybe you should let them know before more of my food ends up on the ground."

Emi bunched up her lips and looked down at the pepperoni pizza flavored snack on the ground.

"So you're a guest and the first thing you do is yoink one of my hot pockets?" she asked with her familiar sass. Emiru was easily his favorite female streamer in terms of hours watched, and her crude personality had a lot to do with it. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Fuck, my bad," Josh replied, his words dripping with sarcastic sympathy. "A degenerate streamer like you probably lives off of these, huh? I didn't mean to eat your only source of nutrients."

His jest was met with a deadpan stare and silence.

Rude humor was Emiru's forte. It was the only way she comfortably conversed with others, not having the patience for small talk. Though, not many people warmed up to that style of humor, especially during introductions, so Emi often opted to stay quiet in these situations.

But Josh was rolling with her punches. For the first time, she noticed the attraction in his beefy body frame, his tall stature, and his chiseled chin.

"No, you prick. I don't live off of these. It's just a snack, I guess. I'm actually a good cook," Emi finally replied, inadvertently trying her best to seem normal to this complete stranger.

With a smile, Josh pointed at the empty Chick-fil-A bag. "Uh huh. Is this one of your gourmet meals, chef?"

"Oh my god. That's not even mine," she retorted, half-amused at the man trying to get under her skin. "Believe it or not, other people live here, dickhead."

Josh tilted his head slightly and then pointed at the Applebee's bag. "What about that one?"

A horrible liar through and through, Emi couldn't resist her urge to smirk. Rolling her eyes, she admitted, "Oh, whatever. I'm only half a degenerate, okay? You should see how the rest of my roommates eat. Only god knows how they're still alive."

"Yeah, speaking of which," Josh replied, eager to get a layout of the home, "how many people actually live here? The place seems empty."

"Really? How long have you been here?"

"Only a few minutes. Ten, maybe."

"Ahh," Emi replied. "That makes sense. Stay a little longer and you'll be hearing random shouting pretty consistently throughout the day. But yeah, uhm.. four people live here. Technically. People come and go, but it's mainly me, Miz, Simply, and then Russel. They usually stay cooped up in their rooms, though."

Curious about the other OTK streamers that Josh often heard about, he asked, "What about Esfand? And Nick? Or ExtraEmily?"

"Oh, you did your homework, huh?" Emiru asked. "You're not here to poach one of our members, are you? You did say you were a manager.."

Josh chuckled at her joke and shook his head, denying her accusation. In a roundabout way, she managed to correctly guess his intentions. He was here to poach someone, but it wasn't for some meaningless org.

"Uh huh," she continued. "Well, they don't live here. Nick lives with Malena in a different house, and Esfand lives with Bonnie next door. They've got Wake and Phin over there, too. Then it's ExtraEmily, uhm.. Cinna, and Woojito at another place. Not here."

Josh forced out a yawn. "Jesus, what a snooze fest. I don't fucking recall asking for an entire OTK history lesson."

Dropping her mouth open and widening her eyes, Emi stared back at the tall stranger. "You asked me. You literally asked me, you motherfucker."

As Josh chuckled at the success his teasing found, the ends of Emiru's lips curled upwards. The two stared at each other for a second, acknowledging their chemistry before Josh kept the conversation going.

"Listen. As fun as it is bantering with you," Josh began to say as he moved past her and squatted down to open the bottom freezer section of the fridge, "I am absolutely starving, and I was so close to solving that issue, but then you came in here like a goddamn gremlin and scared the shit out of me."

As he ruffled through boxes of frozen meals, Emiru glanced at the way his wavy hair settled on the rear of his head and how his back muscles still managed to show through his shirt. He had a nice scent about him as well. This guy was physically attractive in so many ways, and it was starting to annoy her.

"Well, maybe if you weren't such a pussy, you wouldn't get scared by a little girl," she finally shot back, smiling as he immediately stopped scavenging.

"Oh, I'm a pussy, huh?" Josh replied without looking back. "Well.. I guess this pussy is going to be eating your last two hot pockets."

With that, he grabbed the remaining two snacks from their box and threw the empty container towards the stunned streamer.

Emi's arms flailed to catch the box, but it fell out of her hands clumsily. "No, fuck no!" she exclaimed, stepping towards Josh and reaching to snatch her snacks out of his hands. "You've already wasted one! You're not grabbing two more!"

She managed to grab one before Josh could raise them out of her reach, but he quickly grabbed her wrist and pinned it to the fridge. After a brief struggle, Emi realized she was not escaping his grasp. He was ten times stronger than she was. All she could do was hold onto her frozen turnover as tightly as possible.

With an amused expression on Josh's face, it was obvious that the argument was playful in nature, but even little things needed to be taken seriously sometimes.

"You're not fucking eating two of them," Emi growled out. "The last two!"

"You wasted the first one, okay? That wasn't me," Josh replied. "So at least one of these is mine."

"Fine. Okay.. one is okay, but–"

"Look at me, Emi," Josh interrupted her. "Really look at me."

Emi stared into his eyes, which were only a foot away from her own.

"No, you dumbass," Josh spat at her. "Look at all of me."

She furrowed her brows in anger and then confusion before understanding his intent. With a sigh, her eyes went up to his hair, sideways to his arms, and then down to his chest. He was a big dude. Whatever.

"Keep going," he ordered.

Her eyes shot back up to challenge his gaze. She pulled her arm and attempted to free herself once more, but it didn't budge. Not even an inch.

"Ugh," she complained, finally giving in and looking down to check out the rest of Josh's body. He had a firm abdomen. Could have abs hidden behind his shirt. Whatever, yet again. Fancy jeans, a noticeable bulge, thick linebacker legs, and–

Fuck. Emiru's eyes burst open as she registered the impressive sight. Her head shot back up and met his gaze once more. This time, though, he was smirking.

"Okay, I get it. You're a big guy, so you need more food," she said, attempting to glaze over the thing that they both know she saw. "Is that it?"

"Say it again," Josh demanded.

"Oh my god. You're a big guy. Whatever," she groaned, rolling her eyes.

"One more time."

Her face contorted to express her confusion. "You're a.. big.."

After finally catching onto his perverted request, her eyes widened and she stopped talking. She used her left arm, which was free from his grasp, to push his body away from her own.

With a laugh, Josh gave up the bit and stepped back, giving her the space she clearly wanted.

"Fucking perv," she muttered, only slightly entertained by his antics. "You're getting way too comfortable way too quickly, asshole."

Josh tilted his head before responding. "Hey, I'm just messing with you, alright? You seem like you can take it, which is a good thing. A compliment. Most chicks get uptight about these kinds of jokes. The prude ones, anyway."

"I know, I know. I can tell you're joking, but I gotta push back a little," Emi replied, before pausing and extending her hand with the hot pocket. "Here, I guessssss you can take it, but you're buying me more as soon as you get settled in!"

With a smile, Josh took her offering and nodded. "You got it. Pepperoni pizza?"

Smiling, Emi replied, "Pepperoni pizza."

The two smiled at each other briefly.

"So, you must be hungry, huh?" Emi asked as she watched him prepare the snacks. "Did you.. uh, drive here or fly in?"

The two spoke for a little as the microwave did its job. They argued about who would clean up the collateral hot pocket on the floor, and Emiru eventually gave in.

"Want to join me on the couch?" Josh asked as he broke open both bready sacs of fat and sodium, taking a step in the direction of the living room. "I might even consider sharing half of one with you, if you ask nicely."

Emi was about to agree. Josh's easy-going hostility was entertaining, and she wouldn't have minded getting to know him better, but an edging responsibility kept her from immediately replying. She didn't just walk into the kitchen several minutes prior for the fun of it.

"Emi, where the hell are you?!"

The shout came from one of the hallways that dissected the home. Mizkif appeared soon after and began berating her.

"What's taking so long? I've been guarding your character for the past hour," he exaggerated, clearly frustrated about a prior game they were playing together.

That realization hit Emiru's face like a ton of bricks. "Oh my god. I'm sorry! I completely forgot. Fuck, I.. I.."

"I.. I… I," Miz replied, mocking her inadvertent stutter. "I don't care. Let's go! These fucking quests aren't going to finish themselves."

Josh set down his plate and stepped in between the bickering pair, holding a hand out to greet his host.

"I'm Josh, by the way. Good to meet ya," he said as Miz shook his hand. Greeting the man that he was about to fuck over was deranged, but being a little fucked up was necessary in his line of work. "It was my fault. This little shit creeped up on me, and I was giving her a hard time about it. Must've gotten a little carried away, haha."

"I'm not a little shit, asshole," Emi shot back with an open-mouthed smile, unwilling to have her name tainted without a rebuttal.

Miz faked a welcoming grin, but it was pretty clear that he was bothered by how quickly the two were getting along. "Yeah, no worries, but we got a stream going on so we gotta get back. Make yourself at home, though. Anything in the fridge is free game."

Josh immediately looked towards Emi and raised his brows in a cocky way, making it clear that he was right about the hot pocket debate.

Emiru just rolled her eyes in playful annoyance. "You're so fucking annoying," she said with a short laugh.

Miz gave them an odd look and shook his head in dismissal. "Uh, yeah. We should be done in a few hours," he said, grabbing Emi's arm and pulling her away to his streaming room. Emi gave Josh a guilty smile and walked off.

"Sure thing," Josh replied. "I'll just hang out until then."

"Poki vouched for you, so no funny business. You're here on her word," Miz called out, clearly joking and being serious at the same time.

No reply was needed. Josh just watched as Emi was dragged away by her needy boyfriend.

Mizkif and Emiru were some of the most popular streamers in the entire industry. It was pretty obvious that the two were dating since they constantly spent time together, both on stream and off, but neither of them had publicly confirmed it. It was that elephant in the room that no one, except for their followers, wanted to acknowledge.

And from the few observations he made so far, it was clear that the rumors were true.

"Oh hey," Josh called out just before they were just out of sight. "What room should I put my stuff in?"

Miz must've not heard since he didn't turn around, having already let go of Emi by this point, but she did and replied with, "Oh, uhm.. I don't know. Just pick an empty room! Should be one upstairs and two more down here."

She spoke while walking backwards, clearly not wanting to piss Miz off any further. Josh just gave her a thumbs up and that was it. He was alone once more.

And something just didn't sit right with him.

He had been enjoying Emiru's company. She was a funny chick and very easy on the eyes. A dangerous combination by all measures.

Pretty was great. Josh loved pretty women, but adding funny into the mix was a problem. That's the one trait that could pull at Josh's heartstrings in a manner that nothing else could. It was his weakness.

With just a few minutes of talking, Josh spitefully acknowledged the fact that he had developed a crush on his potential conquest.

Now, he didn't expect her panties to be on the ground on the first day, but he wouldn't have been opposed to it either. The protective Miz had walked in and ruined any chance of that, though. He strolled in and Emi's attention was his. Emi's attention and her company. Her presence. Her cleavage. Her tits. Her..

Josh was envious. An emotion that he wasn't used to. He was usually the one stealing women away, and he hated the way these new shoes fit. A few more minutes and Emi's throat would've been getting stuffed. No doubt about it. Her bratty attitude would've been so fun to shut down, and he'd keep her around afterwards, too. Just to hang out with her. Game with her. It'd been a while since he'd gotten a nice gaming session in. World of Warcraft, the game Miz and Emi were currently grinding, wasn't his cup of tea, but she was huge on dungeon RPGs. The ones with tough boss battles. They could play one of those together. Josh had yet to finish Dark Souls III, a fact that he was thoroughly embarrassed by, and perhaps she could help him through it. She'd give him tips and he'd make fun of her for being a nerd. Maybe get some head while taking on an easier section of the game. They could cuddle and then do it all again the next day.

All that would have to wait now. Thanks to fucking Miz.

With a deep breath, Josh calmed himself.

Things were okay. A seed had been planted. Emiru responded positively to most of his charismatic approaches. She didn't overreact to his physical aggression. She seemed to enjoy his jokes.

Though, she was hesitant about his sexual references. Her face blushed each time, revealing that she might be inexperienced and shy about such topics.

With a satisfying bite of one of his room temperature hot pockets, Josh smiled. He wasn't entirely sure how aggressive he should pursue Emi, but he knew that sitting around wouldn't accomplish anything.

Back in Mizkif's streaming room, the pair settled into their respective seats. Emi had her own scuffed gaming setup off to the side that she used to hang out and be closer to Miz while he was streaming, but she was regretting that close proximity right about now.

"What the fuck was that about?" Miz asked her after confirming that his mic was muted. Their streams often lasted eight hours or more, so they weren't too concerned with leaving their viewers to chill for a few more minutes while they argued.

"What do you mean?" Emi replied defensively. Miz was easily the most jealous boyfriend she ever had, but she felt as if she hadn't done anything wrong and wasn't about to be yelled at for nothing. "I lost track of time, dude. Whatever.."

"Yeah, no fucking shit you lost track of time. Flirting your ass off with a complete stranger might've had something to do with that," Miz blurted out, doing his best to convey his frustration without appearing frustrated to his chat.

Seeing that he wasn't going to let the situation go easily, Emi groaned loudly. "Ughhhhh! I wasn't fucking flirting, dude. We were literally talking about hot pockets and shit. And it's your fault, anyway. You didn't say anything about having someone over! I was just making sure he wasn't some random fucking weirdo."

"Oh yeah, classic Emi!" Miz blurted out, throwing his hands in the air for dramatic effect. "Somehow finds a way to make it my fault. Okay, fine. You were just checking who he was? That should've taken, like.. three seconds max. Hey, who are you? Someone Miz invited? Cool, bye. It's that fucking simple. I mean, am I missing something?"

Emi didn't want to back down. She was used to Miz making a big deal out of random bullshit, but it would just get worse if she gave in.

"We were talking about food! Fucking food!" she replied, not including the fact that she asked him more personal questions just to get to know him better. "You're acting as if I was on my knees sucking him off. Why did you even invite him if you were so worried about me even looking in his direction?"

"How the hell was I supposed to know he'd be a fucking seven-foot gigachad?" Miz retorted as Emi rolled her eyes. Here he was again, blabbering about height and letting his own insecurities show. At 5'6, he certainly wouldn't be challenging Josh physically any time soon. Just another thing she had to tread lightly around.

"Okay? So you're mad at me because he's tall?" Emi asked incredulously. "How many times have I told you? I don't care that you're short!"

"Oh, you just had to throw that in there, huh? Fucking hell, Emi," Miz grumbled.

"Fucking hell, Miz," she mocked back. "I don't know what you want from me!"

"I want my fucking girlfriend to not drool all over a random guy!"

They were both caught off guard. In the heat of the moment, Mizkif used the 'g' word. An official title that they both did their best to avoid, especially when they were streaming.

They simultaneously glanced towards their OBS, the streaming software displayed on one of their monitors, and confirmed that they were still muted, which extinguished their momentary panic.

The pair fell silent for a few seconds. The reminder that they were, in fact, dating helped them realize they were just arguing because they cared about each other. A little too much and in unhealthy ways, perhaps, but they cared.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Emi finally said. Her interaction with Josh was harmless, but jealousy often didn't make sense, and a quick apology would go a long way.

Miz pouted and grunted a reply. "Sure you are."

Emi responded with an intense glare, threatening to retract her apology if he didn't accept.

With an exaggerated eye roll and a slight smirk, Miz replied, "Fine. Okay, whatever. Just.. stay away from him, okay? That motherfucker looks like he takes steroids for breakfast, and I can tell he likes you."

Emi laughed in response. "You're so dramatic, haha. He was actually nice! Some people are just friendly. It doesn't have to be weird."

"Emi.."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll stay away from him. Are you done being a little bitch now? Can we fucking play?"

And there she was. The Emiru he was used to. Miz grinned and shook his head as they both settled back into their setups. Maybe he had been a little over the top. He certainly felt guilty for being so aggressive, which was often the case after their arguments. For a brief moment, he was reminded of a phrase his community always parroted at him.

If he didn't treat her better, he would lose her.

Back in Los Angeles, Imane shifted uncomfortably in her seat and reached down to massage her right ass cheek. "You'd think this freaking hospital would buy better chairs knowing that people spend all night in them," she complained to Lily. "My butt is aching! I haven't been comfortable in hours."

The entire crew, consisting of Lily, Poki, Rae, and Kyedae, had spent as much time as possible by Michael's bedside, waiting for him to wake up. The restrictions of visitation hours forced Rae and Kyedae to get some rest at home, but Lily and Poki were allowed to stay overnight and support Michael while his family flew in from his hometown.

Shortly after Michael was initially brought in, he was rushed into surgery and brought back to stable condition within two hours, much to all of his friend's relief. Imane made sure to fire off a text to Josh, who was already on his way to the airport when they got the update. Had the news been different, more grim, then perhaps Josh wouldn't have gotten on that plane after all. The positive outlook allowed for the slight possibility that this whole incident could be put behind them without too many repercussions.

The police showed up a few minutes after Josh left while the girls were signing in at the front desk. All four of them took statements and as practiced, their stories matched up. There was no reason to be suspicious of four innocent and teary-eyed girls, and they didn't have access to Michael for a direct statement, so the two police officers said that they would follow up and promptly made their way to another call that came through on their radios.

With Josh gone and the police taken care of, the girls were free to sink into their seats, only half-relaxed, and support each other as the surgery took place. Lily called Michael's family and made a social media post asking for well wishes. Support flooded through on all of her platforms, and the deception of the whole situation was not lost on her.

Lily was the reason Michael was even in surgery. She was the one who stabbed him. It wasn't a fucking accident.

And what made her feel even worse was her lack of guilt. The doctor just informed them that Michael was in stable condition. He'd be fine. It was just a little stabby stab. No big deal, but people were acting as if Michael fucking died!

The whole situation had her frustrated.

She wished Josh hadn't left. She'd be more comfortable with him around. The way he cared for Michael and helped clean up the mess she created showed how protective he could be. He was a good person. He wasn't just after pussy and a quick nut, despite admitting to the contrary several times and in extremely degrading ways.

Even if he was, it'd be whatever. She could live with that. When Josh released his massive load all over her face, the amount of satisfaction she felt was beyond anything she had experienced before. But then he told her to keep it there, keep his cum on her adorable face, and that drove her wild. Just the thought of it made her feel good. It gave her butterflies. Her constant anxiety began to ease, which was something that countless therapists and various medications had yet to accomplish. Josh was the answer. Josh was the–

"Lily!" Imane called out after not getting a response for an extended period of time. They were sitting in chairs on opposite ends of Michael's hospital bed, and she could see that Lily was deep in thought. "Is everything okay? I know it's tough, but Michael's going to wake up any minute now. I can feel it!"

Lily snapped out of her internal conversation and looked at Imane. Piecing together the last words she heard, Lily quickly realized that her friend was guessing what was on her mind. Incorrectly guessing, that is.

"Uhm, yeah.. right," Lily replied as she looked towards her injured boyfriend with a guilty expression. "I'm just.. uh, really worried about Michael.."

But her friend knew her better than that. With squinted eyes, Poki gazed back at her suspiciously. "Hm, okay.. why are you being weird about it then?"

Lily shifted a bit, giving off obvious signs that she was uncomfortable, and thus, being untruthful.

"Were you not thinking about Michael?" Poki asked as an immediate follow up. Her own words led her to a different conclusion, and she smiled. "Ohhhhh, I see."

Lily scoffed and hoped that she hadn't been caught. "See what? You don't see anything. You're not a mind reader. I was thinking about my broken boyfriend who needs all of my support right now!"

With a small laugh, Imane replied, "I'm not a mind reader, no, but I know my best friend! And I also remember my first day after, uhm.. after being with Josh, heh."

Lily's cheeks instantly reddened. "Michael is right there. We cannot be talking about this!"

"Why not?" Poki asked. "You already cheated on him. Talking about it can't be any worse. I mean, doesn't it feel exciting?"

She was right. Lily was already rubbing her thighs together just to try to control the trembling urge in her cunt, and Poki's teasing was only making it worse.

"If Josh was here, he'd probably force you onto your knees and fuck your face right in this room," she said as she stood up and walked seductively towards her friend.

Lily's mouth opened ever so slightly as her breaths grew heavier.

"He'd slap your face as you choked on his cock and then laugh when you tried to pry yourself free," Imane whispered as she sat next to Lily. She slowly reached down and crept her hand right onto Lily's clothed crotch, squeezing between her closed legs.

"Uhh," Lily moaned unintentionally. The direct contact just felt too good.

"He'd spit in your face and not let you have a single breath of air until his balls were ready to blow. Even as you start to lose consciousness.. and your eyes roll back into your skull.. and your head gets all dizzy and dumb.. he'd keep ramming his cock.. his thick cock.. down your stupid throat."

"Mm, stupid.." Lily mumbled, inadvertently once more. Imane's hand was overwhelming all of her senses as she closed her eyes and imagined the exact scenario that her friend was describing.

"That's all that matters. His cock, his balls, and his orgasm. Nothing.. nothing else is important. You're just a toy.. a toy for him to use. A toy to cum into and onto."

"And then throw away?" Lily asked, opening her eyes to look at Poki directly.

Her friend's smile widened. "And then throw away. Exactly. He'd forget about you the second his big balls were empty. Unless, of course, he wanted to piss on your dumb face, too."

"Mmm, yes please.." Lily moaned. She immediately thought back to their first major encounter. Josh had pissed all over her face under the guise of sleepwalking, and he did it right next to Michael. There was no doubt that he'd do the same thing if he was with her now, regardless of the circumstances.

The two paused for a moment, breathing heavily as their intense conversation eased down.

"I really miss him," Lily confessed with a sad gaze.

Imane pouted and nodded in agreement. "I miss him, too. Maybe.. maybe you shouldn't have stabbed your dumb boyfriend.."

Lily opened her mouth in surprise and the pair laughed off her joke.

"This is something you should get used to, though," Imane warned as she let her hand wander around Lily's body. "Even if he didn't have to go away, he still spends time with other girls. Sometimes, if you're lucky, he'll include you, but when it's a new girl, he needs time alone to whittle her down. Seduce her, ya know?"

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I know we need to share him, but that doesn't mean I have to like it," Lily replied with a pout. "Is it just us four.. for now?" Lily asked.

"For now, yeah," Imane nodded. "He'll get Emiru soon enough. Maybe a few days, maybe a week. Then he'll come back to us."

"Mm," Lily smiled at the thought. "I really want to blow him with you. A double blowjob, hehe."

Imane cooed at the thought. "Mhm! Those are really fun. I did one with Rae once, and we both had super intense orgasms, just from servicing him, heh. He's just so fucking hot.."

Lily grumbled in frustration. "Now I just miss him even more! Ugh.. this sucks. Stupid fucking Michael. You just had to go and get stabbed! Ugh!"

Poki laughed heartily and moved in to hug her dejected friend.

"What do you do when you miss him?" Lily asked.

After a second of thought, Imane smirked and replied, "I usually send him nudes, hehe."

"Oh my god, there's no way! Are you serious?" Lily replied in disbelief. Imane giggled and took her phone out.

Back in Austin, Josh's phone buzzed in his pocket. Strolling up the stairs to the top level of the streamer home and with his duffel bag in tow, he swiped the unlock pattern and noticed nineteen missed messages from the girls. He knew they were starting to rack up, but nineteen was a little insane.

Poki's message was at the top.

Josh chuckled to himself as he made a mental note to check out the video once he was settled in. Emiru had mentioned something about an empty room upstairs, so that's what he was on the hunt for.

Meandering through the hallway after passing a lounging area and another small kitchen, Josh came across a slightly ajar doorway. The French doors had panes of glass on them, oddly enough, and Josh's curiosity got the best of him. He walked in and instantly recognized it as Emi's room from her streams. The main tell was the massive pile of stuffed Kirby's, which looked much more comical in person.

Her caged hamster off to the right scurried back into hiding as Josh looked around. Empty bags of chips, an unmade bed, and horrible wiring management that her camera angle usually concealed. Emi was a degenerate gamer through and through, but he expected as much. Emiru always had that one-of-the-guys persona to her. Her crass attitude, her casual style of wear, and her vulgar language all contributed to that.

But she also had a ditzy side to her.

When she wasn't rotting away in her chair on her twelfth hour of grinding World of Warcraft, she was cosplaying. Dressing up like one of the countless scantily clad and overly sexualized characters in anime was one of her favorite hobbies. She bought super expensive wigs, intricate costumes, and spent hours perfecting the makeup. The whole shebang. Showing them off on stream was another part of it, but then she posted her tiktoks.

Her odd, braindead, and out-of-character tiktoks that played into the whole stupid e-girl aspect of her personality. She often said that was an entirely different Emiru, separate from the one that streamed to her massive audience, but Josh wasn't convinced.

He had a suspicion that the dumb e-girl character that she played up was actually a core part of who she was, and it was driven by an insatiable need for male validation.

It wasn't a far-fetched conclusion. Everyone loves validation. Men do too.

But the streamers that he had encountered so far all seemed to crave it, and in a sexual way. A degrading way. Not from the outset, of course. They weren't outward about it, but they hinted at it, and Josh simply picked up on those hints and pursued them.

Emi was no different.

Josh took a moment to close the double doors before making a beeline towards her closet. Having someone spot him while they walked by wouldn't be a great start to his stay here. Looking around her wardrobe, Josh spotted tons of different cosplay costumes, blouses, dresses, and sweatshirts. Very colorful for a girl that liked to present herself as emo. In a dresser, he found socks, folded sweatpants, and ah ha, underwear.

There were tons of them. More than he could fit in both hands, which he greedily attempted to do. It was a fucking pervy thing to get a thrill from, but she was busy at the moment, so it's not like he could work on direct seduction anyways. He'd much rather be flirting with her and pulling a move, but invading her intimate undergarments would have to do for now.

He found more lame granny panties than he would've liked, but there was no shortage of g-strings and thongs as well. A surprising number of them, actually. Some of them were super complex, too. Lacey and see through crotches. There's no way those were comfortable underneath the sweatpants she wore all the time, but she still wore them, clearly.

Josh smirked as he began picking out the lame ones. She wouldn't have any need for those anymore, so he was kind of doing her a favor. He piled those on the floor and when he was done separating them, he kicked the pile underneath the large wooden dresser, never to be found again.

As he continued reviewing her sexier underwear, rating them in his head, his hand bumped into a concealed object. A book. No, a journal.. a diary! Hidden under her panties, haha. Jackpot.

Josh laughed as he exited her walk-in closet and laid down on her bed, opening the first page and reading what was surely Emiru's most personal secrets.

As the stereotype with all girls went, she had nice handwriting, but Josh also noticed how she drew hearts to dot her i's and the little artsy swirls and designs she had on the side of most pages. Even Josh had to admit it was adorable. Most of the actual content was just about her feelings and what had happened on a particular day. It was dated back to a year prior, so there was plenty of stuff to peruse through.

Emi's hamster made a loud thump, as if trying to protest Josh's invasion of privacy on behalf of its owner. "Hey, stay quiet, you little fucker," Josh called out. "Snitches get stitches, got it?"

Josh interpreted his little squeaky rebuttal as agreement.

The diary confirmed his suspicions about Mizkif. Emi was in love with the dude. Her relationship with emotions was extremely unhealthy, which she wrote about often, so she was fine with how they didn't publicly announce the fact that they were in a committed relationship.

Everyone in the house knew, along with certain others in the streaming industry, and there were several diary entries about how each one of them eventually found out. Either by catching them holding hands or cuddling on the sofa, the two of them were often careless with their affection, and people figured it out. There were a few times where Mizkif was caught sneaking out of Emiru's room in the middle of the night or vice versa.

She wrote about how embarrassing those interactions were, but at the same time, she felt relief. Hiding such a big secret was exhausting, especially when she had to hide it from her roommates and closest friends.

As Josh continued to read, he found himself getting rock hard. And it wasn't one of those semi erections that guys got sometimes. No, he was at full mast, and he had to adjust his pants to allow his cock to extend along his left leg. Reading the most intimate thoughts of such an attractive girl was one thing, but planning.. thinking.. knowing that he'd soon be rewiring her dumb brain and turning her into his cum-addicted sex toy.. it was an intoxicating thought.

He wanted Emi all to himself. Every piece of her.

Josh continued reading, and when her rambling went from intriguing to long-winded, he went back to his phone and watched Lily and Poki make out. He was a simple man after all.

The girls were hesitant at first. It was clearly the first time they kissed each other, but a moment later, their passion took over and they were suddenly ravenous, starving for each other's intimacy. Their tongues quickly left their own mouths and explored the one they were lip-locked with. They separated ever so slightly and tongue wrestled, savoring the erotic sensation of each other's warm licks, and Josh smiled. Clearly, they were putting on a show for him.

Lily broke the kiss briefly and asked, "Are you sure it's okay.. to record this? I mean, what if.. it gets out? Leaked or.. something.."

Imane panted heavily and smiled. "It doesn't.. matter. Not anymore.. because.. heh, well.. we don't matter. This is for Josh. All for him, so.. it's worth the risk, heh. It's sooo worth the risk. Our.. hah, our whole careers.. are worth risking.. just so we can get him hard. Once. All that matters now.. is using our bodies," she began to say as she planted loving kisses on Lily's adorable face, "to get Josh hard. Our big butts, muah.. our slutty boobs, muah.. and our dumb, stupid lips, muah.. all belong to him. He.. muah, he loves seeing us like this.. so why shouldn't he have videos of us.. being slutty? Hehe, he deserves it, muah.. countless videos of us, muah.. being super, duperrrrr slutty and horny and dumb and stupid, muah.. all for him. All for him. Allllll for him. It's, muah.. a good reminder.. of what we are, and who we belong to, hah."

Lily moaned loudly as Imane spoke, and they were soon making out with full fervor yet again.

They both got their tits out halfway through, and Josh noticed how Lily looked behind the camera and off to the side before undressing. She seemed to be looking at someone or something. Perhaps.. oh fuck, they were still at the hospital. Josh hadn't noticed before, but the background was clearly from Michael's hospital room, and.. and Lily was looking directly at Michael before slipping off her black cardigan and pulling down her blouse.

Her beautifully perky tits popped out, and she wore a sinister smile. Half of it contained uncertainty, but the other half was nefarious. She was enjoying the risk they were taking.

The little slut. Josh had been worried that Lily would be too upset about everything to continue their sexual escapades, but clearly, she didn't give one fuck about Michael. Or maybe she did, but disrespecting him like she was while he recovering.. it was a good sign.

Good for Josh, anyway. Bad for Michael.

Very bad.

Josh tucked his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, smiling widely and contemplating how he could maintain control of so many girls at once. He had to hurry up here in Austin. Hopefully, Michael would wake up soon, and he'd just forget everything that happened. That was optimistic, but it would allow the police to get his statement and clear everyone of any wrongdoing. Or if he did remember, maybe Lily could just convince him to let everything go. One of those had to happen for him to go home. That, and seducing Emi. He wouldn't leave without Emi, but he wasn't too worried about that. She'd be training her gag reflex to accommodate his size soon enough. Her stupid brain would be decreasing the importance it placed on oxygen within a day or two, surely.

The bigger issues lied where he had little control. For example, he could feel himself losing his grip on Rae.

Josh was not naive. Before he came along, he knew that Rae was constantly posting about modeling gigs and advertisements and sponsorships and photoshoots and merch drops and collaborations with other content creators. She was eccentric when it came to her career and her social media presence. He knew that her busy bee tendency would normalize her life again, and that would kick Josh out of her list of priorities. He had to tighten his hold on her somehow. Perhaps by literally tightening his hold on her throat. Remind her who was in charge.

No, fuck. That wouldn't work. That's what got him on her bad side in the first place. Slapping her around. He knew that's why she was acting cold. It was pretty hot, though. And he gave her permission! But she hadn't been anything but good to him since he arrived.

Maybe she didn't deserve it.

Ugh. These fucking whores were too complicated. Why couldn't they just exist to satisfy every one of his urges and demand nothing in return? If only they had an off button he could use while he was away.

Cages! Fuck, that's what he should've done before leaving. Buy them all cages and keep them locked in their rooms while he took care of business with Emiru. Hah, that would've been funny. Imane would be cool with it. Kyedae, maybe. Lily and Rae might need more convincing.

As Josh made a mental note to ask Kyedae about all that cum she had saved and what she planned on doing with it, he accidentally dozed off. Traveling for most of the morning had tired the fuck out of him. Not to mention, the only sleep he'd gotten in the last thirty-six hours was the small naps he took at the airport and on the plane, and now, he was fast asleep in a room that he wasn't supposed to be in.

Dampness. Dry throat. Covered in sweat.

"I don't care about you anymore, you fucking douchebag," Rae yelled at him. Her outburst seemed to come out of nowhere. "I've moved on! Do you even know anything about me? Have you seen me? Do you know how many guys are in my DMs? I could have anyone I want, and I do want someone else. I want someone who isn't you! I want anyone who isn't you!"

Josh wanted to calm her down. She looked so pretty, even when she was mad, but focusing on her beauty was the wrong move right now. He wanted to hug her and ease her animated frustration, but he was motionless. His body was nothing but phantom matter. He had no control over anything.

His worst fear.

"Stare at my ass as I walk away, you fucking pervert," Rae continued. "It'll be the last time you ever see it."

Without thinking, Josh managed to grunt out the first rebuttal that came to his head. "I can see it whenever I want! I have tons of videos of you shaking your ass, slut."

Rae's face fell immediately, as if she had true expectations that he'd say something different. Something good. Something that would force her to reconsider leaving.

"You'll never change," she mumbled towards him. "I hope you do, but you never will."

With that, Rae turned around and left the nondescript room. Josh could do nothing to stop her.

Sudden shouting from outside Emi's room finally roused him awake. With a loud inhale, Josh quickly sat up and immediately felt the sweat covering his face. He wiped off his forehead and glanced down to see his forearm glistening in the light.

Fucking fuck. He had fallen asleep, and it was already dark out. A voice, a feminine voice, was quickly approaching. It had to be Emiru, and Josh had no way to escape. He could hide, but it'd only be a matter of time before he was found. It wouldn't take much searching to spot such a large man.

No, no. Josh wasn't one to hide anyway. All of his luck so far had come from being bold. Whether he was ready or not, he'd have to double down now.

With a shrug, he grabbed her diary and flipped it open, leaning back to relax once more. He began reading an entry regarding the anxiety that Emi felt while streaming. She wished that it didn't play such a big part of her life, but it did. It bugged her every time she was awake–

A moment later, Emi burst through her door and closed it behind her with a loud slam. "Ughhhhh!" she groaned loudly in apparent anger. She mumbled a few expletives before noticing Josh lying in her bed.

Her eye roll was so dramatic that her whole head rotated in tandem.

"Perfect. Just what I need right now. What the fucking fuck are you doing here?" she asked, crossing her arms as she stood only a few feet away.

Josh didn't even look up from his reading. "You told me to pick a room, remember?"

"I told you to pick an empty room, dumbass. Now get the fuck out," Emi demanded, but just as the words left her mouth, she noticed what Josh had in his hands.

Her journal.

He was reading her journal.

Panic took over her body as she lunged towards the intrusive man, reaching out to recover her book of secrets.

Josh predicted her move and shifted the diary to his left hand while holding her back with his right. Her small frame was more than manageable with just one of his arms.

"Stop.. fucking– give it! Fucking give it to me! Asshole!" Emi growled out as she tried to wrestle herself past Josh's formidable blockade. But it was like trying to move an ox. She made no progress, regardless of her attempts. In fact, he seemed to be amused by her lack of strength, which only pissed her off more.

Josh chuckled as he began to read out loud. "Miz was a giant dick on stream today, but it was kind of funny, too. A lot of people don't get his humor, but I do and that's kind of cool. It's like our own unique language. Who else can say that they have that with their boyfriend? Anyways, he apologized afterwards, and then he asked what I wanted for dinner," Josh said in a mockingly feminine voice. "I just looooove when he does stuff for me. It makes me feel soooo special."

Emi's efforts doubled when she heard his mocking. "STOP. FUCKING STOP!"

Josh did in fact stop reading, but that was just so he could laugh in her face. Emiru eventually tired herself out and slumped down to her knees with her hands draped across the bed and against Josh's abdomen. She buried her face into the side of the bed and began crying.

"Oh.. fuck," Josh muttered out in surprise. "Hey! Don't start crying on me now. I was just messing around! It was all in good fun, c'mon."

Emi continued sobbing quietly, so Josh did the only thing he could think of and handed back her diary.

"Here, here.. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't know you were this sensitive. I went too far, my bad–"

Emi looked up and snatched the journal out of his hands, immediately turning off her fake display of sadness. "Dumbass. Why the hell would I be crying over something so dumb?" she said, jabbing him in the side as retribution and standing up to lock her journal away.

Josh's mouth shot open. He was more impressed than anything. "You're a sneaky little fucker, huh? I totally fell for that. Very, very well played, haha."

"Yeah, I know. I live with a bunch of meatheads. One more asshole isn't going to faze me," she said as she approached Josh once more. She looked as cute as ever, with her black hair slightly astray, her tight crop top showing off her midriff, and her tits generously stretching out her shirt. "Reading my diary is super fucked up, though. Who the hell do you think you are? Why are you even in here?"

Emiru reduced his presence to nothing more than another regular roommate, but that was just to humble him. In truth, she noted that this was now the second time he was intruding, which was unlike her other super passive cohabitants. Once by eating all of her hot pockets, and now by reading her journal. And by laying in her bed! Three fucking strikes.

He had to be annoying her on purpose.

"I was bored," Josh replied as he sat up. "You're my host. You're supposed to entertain me, but instead, I'm stuck here trying to kill time on my own, reading the most boring thoughts that have ever been thought."

Emi rolled her eyes. "Fuck you! You better keep all that to yourself, by the way. I'm serious," she said, raising her fist in the air as a threat. "I'll fucking gut you."

"Easy, killer," Josh replied with his arms in the air. "I'll stay quiet, but it doesn't matter anyway. I can promise you that no one on planet Earth would be interested in a single word you wrote in that thing, haha."

Emi's mouth dropped open before she replied. "Can you not be mean for like five seconds? God!" Her tone made it seem like she was annoyed, but she was firing back all the same, and with an upward curl on the end of her lips.

"Okay, now that you're here, chop chop," Josh quipped, clapping his hands together. "Entertain."

"You really are something else, and not in fucking good way. It's not my job to entertain you, prick. I've got other shit to worry about," she said as she pushed his legs off to the side to make room for herself. She climbed onto the bed and got cozy against the wall of the bedroom.

Oddly enough, the hostility of their initial interactions had sped up how comfortable she was around him, so she didn't think twice about joining him on the bed. At the same time, he wasn't her biggest concern at the moment. She really did have other shit to worry about.

"Yeah, I think I heard you shouting before you came in. What was all that about?" Josh asked as he stretched his legs back out on top of Emi.

"Ugh," Emi groaned as she pushed his feet off her and stared at him. "The least you could do is take off your fucking shoes."

"Ehh.. if I had even an ounce of respect for you, I totally would."

"Cocksucker. It's my bed! Take 'em off, now," Emi demanded sternly.