Toxic Comparison

"Did you make it there safely?" The question rings out into the kitchen, it's early in the morning and I'm the only one awake, ensuring that Kyle landed safely in our hometown. He had left the night prior, it took a little longer due to someone, me admittedly, clinging to him at the airport.

"Yeah, I'm going to see if I can sleep before school since there's a council meeting today." Kyle responded, voice low and tired.

"Alright," I agreed reluctantly. "But if you're too tired don't worry about it, your health is more important than some meeting."

"Okay, you should go to sleep as well. Aren't you and your friends going to help Liam today?" Ah, that is true. Without thinking about it, I pull back from my phone, looking over at the time. It was about to be five in the morning. Because Thanksgiving had ended, all classes were to resume today at their usual time, which also meant that Liams now ex-girlfriend would be away from the dorm long enough for him to get his things. While me and Tripp aimed for confrontation we understood that this is Liam's life, and therefore, should be dealt with in the manner that made him feel most comfortable.

Avoidance was what he wanted.

"I still have time, but I'll let you go now so you can sleep. Night!" Kyle replies with his own goodbye before hanging up. With a skip to my step I make sure everything in the living room is turned off before heading back to Tripp's room. Since Kyle had departed the night prior, Liam was moved to the guest room which was for the better seeing as it gave everyone a sense of privacy.

I clamber onto the bed, grinning as I sit down over Tripp's abdomen, putting all my weight on him. As expected, he huffs, turning to peer up at me with a sleepy expression. "How is he?"

"Fine." The answer is quick and simple, but the fact that he asks makes my heart swell. I lean over him to press myself against him, chest-to chest. "He just landed, said he's going to try and sleep before heading to school."

Placing my elbows next to his face I push myself upwards so the tips of our noses touch. The action makes me fluttery, happy, and I giggle against him. Tripp's chest rumbles beneath me, the ends of his lips curling upwards. "I take it you're not going to try and sleep?"

Tripp's sleepy voice is rough, low, and sends pleasant shivers down my spine. He's long since stopped looking at me, blue eyes hiding behind his eyelids. "What makes you think that?" The question comes out light, coy, as I rub myself against him, using my knees on the sides of his torso to help.

"I wonder. . ." He hums, one of his hands stroking up my back under my shirt while the other grips my ass, helping my movements against him. Suddenly, I'm being pulled upwards, and our lips meet in a rough kiss - our mouths parting to taste each other on our tongues. Tripp licks into my mouth, swallowing the moans that leave me.

My hands find a home against Tripp's abdomen, teasing the skin there as I play with the end of his shirt, my legs cradling one of his thighs. During the span of our friendship, Tripp had always been slightly taller, slightly than me. There was never any reason to compare myself to him because I'm decently built, and from what I know; decently attractive. But currently, as I sit on his thigh and move according to his grasp I can't help but realize how much smaller I am than him.

"Want me to take care of you, baby?" There was an obvious answer to that question, but instead of responding with my words I simply push my hips forward, loving the friction of his thigh. With a tap to my backside he lifts me slightly to slide my boxers down my thighs. Tripps eyes flicker downward, between my legs, and his chest quivers as he takes in a deep breath. "Pretty baby."

And the words work effectively in making my brain fuzzy, without further prompting from him I start moving against his thigh, grinding down against it. The tips of my fingers tingle and I hastily drag his shirt upwards to grope his abdomen and pecs, whimpering as I feel him flex and push his thigh under me.

"T-Tripp-" I claw at his shoulders as his hands find their way back to my waist, helping me. I whimper his name against his lips again, pecking them numerous times as my vision gets blurry and out of focus. There's a spark at the pit of my abdomen, doubling as he reaches to grip my cheeks, nails digging into my flesh. We'd never gone this far. It's new territory, but pushing back against his searching fingers, I welcome it.

"Shh," He quiets, hauling me closer, whispering kisses against the flesh of my neck. "I've got you, sweetheart."

The tips of his fingers are rough as he helps me roll my erection down against the hard muscle of his thigh. It's so good, and embarrassing enough, I hear myself growing louder. Some part of me is ashamed, thinking about Liam a couple of doors over, but another part of me can't help but get more aroused by the idea of someone listening in.

"Sh-Fuck-" I choke as his teeth lock around the base of my neck, biting down hard enough to leave a mark. Pleasure pulses through me, everythings hot and hazy and there's a pulsing heat in my abdomen. I'm so close, and that pushes me to desperately start chasing after my own release, using my grip on his shoulder to effectively bounce on his leg. "Tripp-"

Tripp leans up, eyes narrowed as he meets my gaze. It's now that I notice that he's panting too and I wonder how hard he is, and if he'll let me suck him off when I calm down enough. With a sound similar to a scoff, Tripp holds me down harder against him. "I bet I can guess what you're thinking about, baby. You're so needy, aren't you?"

I whimper, embarrassed that he has me so figured out and lean forward, "Kiss."

He hums, because God forbid he does this one thing, and instead leans forward to nip at the side of my neck, voice tickling my ears. "Maybe later. Right now I want you to focus on what you're feeling." As if on cue, his hand on my waist travels up my torso, pitching around my nipple. The sensation makes me whine, "You're so pretty for me, Logan. Can you be a good boy and come for me, baby?"

The words are rough, his voice low, and the command doesn't escape me. My body tenses as I come against his abdomen, instantly falling against him and pressing my lips onto his. This time he returns the kiss, hands caressing my body slowly until they're resting against my jaw. My arms wrap around his neck as he leans back against the pillows. The kiss turns slow, and the newfound relaxation and warmth consuming me makes me pull away to yawn.

Tripps eyes are fond as he stares down at me, "Are you sleepy now?"

"Mhm." I nod, ignoring the spunk covering us. "Wanna suck you off later though, k?"

"Okay, baby." He giggles, cute. He's so cute, he'll be the death of me. "Whatever you want." In an attempt to get me off of him, probably to change, he grips my torso, shuffling me off next to him.

"No," I grumble, "I want to cuddle now."

"And we will." Tripp responds, pecking my lips. "After I clean you and I change."

I sigh, flopping onto my back and letting him get off of the bed. "I guess I can compromise."

✩

"Is this it?" Tripp asks from next to Liam, hands in his front pockets as we finally come to a stop in front of a dorm room. It was finally time, exactly two in the afternoon, fifteen minutes into Jenn's 2nd class of the day. We had waited outside at first, making sure she didn't come back. Even now that was still a possibility, but Kai had that covered, sitting down on one of the benches in front of the dorm house in case she did make a surprise appearance.

Liam looks at Tripp for a second too long, then proceeds to nod. I didn't blame the guy though, he does have eyes. Anyone could see that Tripp is attractive. One of the student leaders that accompanied us to gather the dorm keys steps forward, "Alright, do you still have the room key? Once you begin there's no need to rush, we're just here to ensure that everything goes smoothly."

"Thank you." He responds, smiling tightly as he turns to unlock the door. It opens with a creak and surprisingly turns to me, "Logan, can you help me?"

Unwantedly, my eyes travel over to Tripp, who only sends me an encouraging nod. I huff, nodding at Liam and following after him into his dorm room. It's a lot smaller than I'd like to admit, with two beds at the end of a large room, and two doors on the side. Each dorm house was different, with some rooms providing their own kitchen and bathroom while others were only there for the purpose of sleeping and studying - having communal bathrooms and kitchens on the first floor. Liam seemed to be able to afford the former one, having a kitchen and bathroom set aside, this also meant that he had more room.

Liam grips my wrist softly, leading me to a closet inside the bathroom. "Me and Jenn often shared the bed, but she probably already put all my stuff in here. It shouldn't be a lot, my style in highschool was more. . ." He giggles, soft and cute. "Conservative, so I decided to buy all the clothes I wanted to wear when I moved here."

One thing I had learned about Liam when he started hanging out with us was that when he got comfortable with someone he talked a lot. Like a shit ton. It isn't a bad thing, it's nice. Liam doesn't have an overly annoying voice, it's soft, with a slight accent that you would expect to hear from someone who grew up in the countryside. But because I'm a shit-listener, some of the things he said simply got lost in translation.

True to his words, pastel-colored clothes are found stuffed in bags inside the closet. A hum escapes me as I frown, "Is this it?"

"Yes." He concludes, turning to stop me as I reach forward to try and grab them. "I asked you to help me because I wanted to talk to you about Tripp."

And why did that make my heart squeeze uncomfortably? What could Liam possibly want to talk about? I search my brain, not coming to a conclusion. Was someone in their classes bothering him? Flirting with him? Not that I care, my trust in Tripp had always been large, and it only increased since he came out to me, because that was the day he let me take care of him.

It was also the day we started being more open, and honest with one another but that's besides the point.

Letting my confusion show, I ask, "About Tripp?"

Liam nods, "Yes. I know it doesn't make sense really to talk about it with you but I feel that you, as someone looking from the outside, were able to notice that I stare a lot."

An understatement really, but I wasn't going to stop him from talking when he was spitting facts.

"It wasn't for any bad reason. I like Tripp, as a friend. But at first, I kind of envied him. Growing up, I tried fitting in with the other guys, you know? Be more masculine, get into sports, look for other fashion choices aside from the one I clearly like. Anyways, when I finally left my hometown I finally got a sense of freedom, this only increased when I started my classes here. . .and met Tripp."

A quivering sigh escaped him, my eyes looking around the small bathroom quickly, deciding it would be best to have him take a seat. For some reason or another Liam always got shaky when he was being honest about his emotions or what he was feeling. Without asking, I gently steer Liam back until he gets the hint to sit on the closed toilet seat. Once he's settled, I lean back against the doorframe. While it was weird that Liam was only telling me this, when Tripp had come along, I could only assume it's because he either already told Tripp this, or it really has nothing to do with him.

"When I met Tripp I started comparing myself to him, and I kept telling myself that if I had worked harder, done what I was supposed to do, I could've ended up like him. So I started hanging out with him, thinking I could learn something from him."

That's so toxic, I make sure to clench my jaw, effectively biting down on my tongue to stop myself from voicing my thoughts. Instead, letting him continue, "And I did! I have, I mean. I've learned a lot from him and from you. But I also don't want you thinking that I have some ulterior motive or anything, I admire you both.

"Your relationship is so strong, I admire it. I realized after going to your dorm house that your relationship portrays exactly what a relationship should be. With Jenn, it was mostly one-sided, and thanks to you I was able to make this decision for myself. For once. Anyways," Leaning forward, Liam presses the side of his face into his shoulder. "This is getting sappy but, I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused, and I really hope we continue to be friends after this."

Without thinking about it I reach out to pet his hair, combing it back as he continues drying his eyes. "Of course we'll be friends after this. And, for the record, there's nothing to admire us for. Everyone has the right to a loving, open, and caring relationship, and you're no exception. We just did what we thought was right." I look towards the door for a second, deciding if I should more or not but after coming up blank I step back. "Either way, we should hurry and go, before Jenn returns."

That seems to be enough to spur him into action, gathering the numerous bags stuffed in the closet we quickly made our way out of the dorm room. The student leader steps away from Tripp suddenly, who has leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest as he looks down at them with nothing but amusement. Honestly, what's with people nowadays?

"Don't be a lazy ass," I start teasingly, giving the heaviest bag to Tripp. "Help us."

With a blinding smile, Tripp easily carries the bag. "Sure thing, baby."

😒