Note: This chapter is NSFW for sexual content and screenshots

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“Wow… this is really nice.” Tam said softly as he took a seat on the edge of the large fluffy bed. “And this bed is awesome!”

Jasper nodded in agreement, trying to ignore how painfully awkward it felt to be alone in the same room as his ex. “Yeah, it really is… Which makes me feel even more shitty about Phoenix having to pay for it.” His face fell as he spoke. “I kept telling him I could just stay in a cheap motel or something, but…”

“It’s Phee.” Tam finished the thought for him. “He wouldn’t let his own brother stay somewhere shitty.”

“Yeah… I guess Phoenix has always been Lawful Good.” Jasper’s lips curled into a smile as he spoke. “Helping other people, doing the right thing…”

“Hmm… maybe more like Neutral Good.” For one brief moment, Tam’s brow seemed to furrow in concern. “But yeah, he’d never leave you hanging, Jas.”

“I still feel awful though. I’d pay for it myself if I could.”

“I know. And Phee knows too.” Tam assured him. “I just still can’t believe you spent all your money and came all the way here…” He shook his head. “Did somebody hit you with a Madness spell or something?”

Jasper laughed softly. He’d missed the unique way Tam looked at the world. But then, he’d missed everything about him. “Maybe a Love spell?” He replied at last, smiling gently. “Basically the same thing…”

“Well, whatever it was, I’m glad you came, Jas. I think we needed this… And I think we needed Phee too. I don’t know if we could’ve rolled high enough on our Diplomacy without him.”

Jasper’s smiled widened. “You’re right. We really needed him to get past this first part… What about the rest though?” He asked. “Think the Tutorial level’s finally over? Can we do the rest on our own?”

“I hope so. I know we’ve still got a lot of work to do.” Tam replied seriously. “And we made so many stupid mistakes the first time around… We can’t make them again, Jas. We can’t waste all that XP.”

“First time around…” Jasper repeated slowly. “Does… Does that mean there’s gonna be a second one? You wanna try again?” It was so hard to hold back the hope and desperation that he felt building in his chest.

Tam nodded. “I wasn’t really sure what I wanted, at first… It took a while for me to figure it all out. But I miss you, Jas.” His smile sent a rush of warmth through Jasper”s heart. “And I want us to give it another chance… I’m not ready for the ‘Game Over’ screen yet.”

Jasper wasn’t sure whether he wanted to laugh or cry from the immense wave of relief that washed over him. He’d been waiting to hear those words for months.

He reached forward and pulled Tam into a tight embrace. He didn’t want to let go. “I’m sorry for everything.” He whispered, still holding Tam’s hard, warm body against his.

“Me too.” Tam replied softly. “I love you.”

With reluctance, Jasper finally released him from his embrace so he could look him in the eye. “I love you too. And I know it’s not gonna be easy, but I’m gonna get things right this time, okay? I promise.”

“That makes two of us… We just can’t let ourselves fall for the same traps again. We’ve gotta outsmart the AI this time. And I think we can do it.” Tam replied confidently. “We might still need a little help getting started though… Phee already gave me the names of some couples’ counselors back home. Maybe we should give them a call when we get back?”

Jasper nodded. “Definitely. And we’ll take it slow… Like maybe try a couple dates and go from there?” He suggested. “And I don’t mind still staying with my parents for now.” As much as he wanted to jump right back in, he knew they needed to ease back into things. They couldn’t risk rushing it.

Tam smiled. “Yeah, taking it slow sounds good.” He agreed. “Can’t go charging into the main dungeon without taking some time to level up first, right?” Tam reached out for him then, wrapping an arm around Jasper’s shoulders as he spoke. “This is enough for now.” He continued softly, placing a gentle kiss against Jasper’s forehead. “I missed this.”

“Me too…” Jasper nuzzled his cheek against Tam’s as a soft sigh passed his lips.

Having Tam so close to him was driving him wild with desire. Jasper’s heart and body had ached for Tam’s for months. And now, having him so close again…

“And you know what else I missed?” His voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke.

Tam seemed to have read his mind.

Because the next thing Jasper knew, Tam’s lips were on his and their clothes were falling to the floor.

All thoughts of ‘taking things slow’ were instantly lost… The only thing that mattered anymore was each other.

It was so intense… electric, almost. Frantic. And hot. Maybe the hottest sex they’d ever had.

And though so many sweet words of love seemed to linger on the tip of his tongue, every time Jasper opened his mouth, all that would escape were moans of pleasure and cries for more.

And Tam seemed more than happy to oblige.

Jasper felt like he was floating as he and his boyfriend lay in the silence afterwards, sweaty and sticky and spent. It was a feeling he’d missed even more than the sex, he realized. That indescribable feeling of connection that came from laying together the afterglow of their passion. It was like nothing else in the world.

And no matter what happened, Jasper promised himself in that moment that he would never let himself lose that feeling again. Tam was the love of his life. He’d known it since before he even understood what love was.

How had they lost their way? How had they let things fall so hopelessly apart? It was a mistake he knew neither of them would ever make again. They couldn’t.

Jasper was finally called back to the present by the feeling of Tam’s fingers running through his hair. He smiled at the touch, turning his head down to press his lips against Tam’s chest for a moment.

“Thank you.” At last, Jasper broke the silence. “I love you so much… And I really needed that.” He confessed.

“Me too. I missed you… All of you.” Tam’s lips curled into a playful smile as he ran his fingertips teasingly up Jasper’s thigh.

Jasper chuckled softly. He wouldn’t say no to another round, but… not yet. He still needed time to recover from the first one. “Woah, there.” He teased. “I thought we agreed to take it slow…”

The sound of Tam’s beautiful laugh filled the air. “I think we’re a little too late for that.” He brushed his lips against Jasper’s forehead as he spoke.

With a small laugh, Jasper sat up and pushed himself toward the edge of the bed. As much as he would have loved to continue holding Tam in his arms, nature called.

When he emerged from the bathroom a minute or two later, he found that Tam had put his boxers back on. Despite his twinge of disappointment, Jasper couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Those had always been his favorite pair.

“Okay, so… I’m thinking we probably shouldn’t tell Phee about this.” Tam said as Jasper rejoined him on the edge of the bed. “You know how much he loves his ‘I’ statements, but something tells me ‘I need you inside me’ or ‘I want it harder’ probably aren’t gonna cut it…”

Jasper nearly doubled over in laughter at his words, and beside him, Tam did the same.

“Um, yeah… probably not.” He finally gasped, still fighting back a few giggles. “We totally owe him for this though.” At last, his laughter had died away and he could speak normally again. “I don’t think we could’ve made it this far without him.”

“Definitely not.” Tam agreed. “And you’re right — we totally owe him… I’d actually kinda wanted to talk to you about that. Returning the favor, I mean.” He paused for a moment, biting his lip uncertainly. “I don’t know how good your Perception checks have been around Phee and Gigi lately, but…”

“I know!” Jasper cried out a bit louder than he’d intended. He was just so excited and relieved to hear that Tam shared his worries. “I’ve been worrying ever since Christmas.” He admitted.

“Me too.”

Despite his worry, Jasper almost smiled for a moment. It was such a relief to finally have someone he could talk to about his concerns for his brother. “I just never really know what to say. But I hate seeing them like this… It gives me the worst déjà vu.” He knew Tam would understand what he meant.

“I know. They’re so unhappy…” Tam’s voice was pained. “I guess Gigi’s been okay since I got here, but something still feels… off.” He explained. “Like she’s hiding under an illusion spell or something.”

“I’ve felt it too.” Jasper nodded in agreement. “But honestly? Something feels kinda off with Phoenix too…”

“I think it’s Lola. I was talking to Phee about her the night you showed up, and…” Tam paused as a heavy sigh passed his lips. “I really think we’ve gotta talk to him again before we head back home.”

“What about Gigi?” Jasper suggested. “Maybe we should try talking to her too… I know Phoenix keeps complaining that she won’t talk to him, but… Maybe we can get her to talk to one of us?”

Tam was thoughtful for a moment. “It might be worth a try… I just don’t wanna piss Phee off or anything. We’ve gotta tread lightly… ace our Stealth checks.”

“Yeah, we’ve gotta be careful about it.” Jasper agreed softly.

They’d both asked for Phoenix’s help. But he hadn’t asked for theirs. Jasper didn’t want to overstep his bounds, and he knew Tam didn’t either… But now that they were here with him and could actually do something, they couldn’t just stand back and watch Phoenix’s relationship suffer like this. Especially after everything he’d done to help theirs.

“So… what do you say?” Tam broke the brief silence that had fallen between them. “Think we can pick up this side quest and help Phee before we head back home?”

He nodded. “I think we can do it… As long as we’re in it together.” Jasper smiled softly at him.

“Together? I like the sound of that…”

His smile widened. “Me too.”