They’d drifted into easy conversation—small things, meaningless chatter that somehow felt precious. Ashe giggled at something dumb he said, and Eli blushed, eyes flicking anywhere but at him.

  For a while, Ashe just watched him work. Eli’s fingers moved zily across the keyboard now, nowhere near as quick as before Ashe had sat down beside him. Lines of text streamed across the monitor—dense, mechanical, barely English.

  “Soooo…” Ashe leaned in, chin propped on his hand. “What exactly are you doing, anyway?”

  “Oh, this?” Eli asked, gncing up. “It’s code. Though honestly, I’m not sure what it does.”

  “Oh! You’re a coder—like, from the movies?”

  Eli chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “N-no, I think you’re thinking of a hacker.”

  “Oh.” Ashe blinked. “And do coders usually not know what they’re coding?”

  Eli’s cheeks tinted pink again. “N-not usually, no. But this is weird. I get assigned random tasks—fix errors, make the program output something specific. Half the time I don’t even know what it’s for. It feels like busy work… but it pays well. Better than the terminal jobs, at least.”

  He gave the monitor a rueful look. “Besides, this setup wasn’t cheap. I’ve gotta earn those credits back somehow.”

  He hesitated, gncing at Ashe. “Speaking of credits… do you mind if I ask a favor?” His tone was careful—like he was worried about crossing a line or disappointing him.

  “No, of course not, El! Anything for you!” Ashe’s smile was radiant, too earnest for its own good.

  “A-anything, huh?” Eli’s ears went pink as his thoughts clearly went somewhere else. “Careful about promising something like that…”

  Ashe tilted his head, confused. “Why? Is it something bad?”

  Eli coughed into his fist. “N-no, nothing like that. It’s just—well, I noticed you’ve got a trash disposal unit. I, uh… skipped getting one. Been saving up for this microcomputer instead.” He gestured at the monitor sheepishly. “Would you mind if I used yours sometimes? I can pay you back if it takes credits.”

  Ashe giggled, waving his hand dismissively. “That’s all? You acted like it was something huge.” He smiled, bright and genuine. “Of course you can use it whenever you want—you don’t even have to ask.”

  Eli visibly rexed, the tension slipping from his shoulders.

  Ashe giggled. “I’ll add it to your tab.”

  Just then, a soft ding echoed through the cube. The elevator. Ashe blinked. J.H. must be back.

  He was right. J.H. rounded the corner from his cabin, rolling his shoulders like he’d just come off a long shift. His eyes swept the room—and nded squarely on them. Ashe had inched closer to Eli during their chatting, practically leaning over to see the screen.

  J.H.’s expression didn’t change much, but the look he shot Eli could’ve cut gss.

  Eli raised both hands in a halfhearted “Don’t shoot” gesture, a crooked smile tugging at his lips.

  J.H. crossed his arms, his tone deceptively casual. “So,” he said, “you two seem to be getting along just fine in my absence.”

  Ashe blinked, sensing tension but completely misreading it. He must be upset we didn’t wait for him.

  “Hi, J.H.! Welcome home!” Ashe said quickly, his cheer a little too forced. “We were just hanging out until you came back—we wanted to talk about how we’re gonna handle the vote.”

  J.H. didn’t move, still standing there like a wall. Up close, Ashe realized just how tall he really was; sitting on the floor, he had to crane his neck just to meet his eyes.

  To ease the awkwardness, Ashe patted the open patch of floor in front of him. “C’mon, sit with us!” he offered brightly.

  J.H. didn’t answer right away. His gaze flicked from Ashe to Eli, then back again.

  Eli, catching the look, immediately shuffled a few inches away from Ashe—like he’d just realized how close they’d been.

  The silence thickened until J.H. finally exhaled through his nose. His shoulders rexed just a little before he took a final step forward and sat down.

  Except when Ashe had patted the floor, he hadn’t meant that exact spot—but J.H. sat there anyway, right in front of him. Even seated, he still seemed to tower over him, their legs brushing. Ashe instinctively shrank inward, trying to take up less space.

  Something about that reaction made J.H. smirk. A low ugh rumbled out of him as he rested a heavy hand on Ashe’s shoulder—firm and familiar, like he already had the right.

  “Eep—” The sound slipped out before Ashe could stop it. Lately, too many little noises like that had been escaping him.

  The movement brought the scent with it. Clean, metallic, edged with cedar. The same one Ashe remembered from their match—but stronger up close, thick enough to make his head swim.

  He slouched forward a little, dazed.“Simple,” J.H. said, voice low and even. “You trust me, right, Ashe?”

  Ashe blinked up at him, struggling to think. The penalty device throbbed sharply, and a tiny wet patch began to darken the fabric of his dress. A part of him knew the question should have felt heavier than this—should have made him stop and think—but the thought never fully formed.

  His lips moved before his mind caught up. “Of course…” he breathed.

  J.H.’s smile widened, satisfied. He gave Ashe’s shoulder a small squeeze, then leaned back. “Good. Then vote for me.”

  Ashe nodded faintly.

  “Knew you would,” J.H. said.

  He rose to his feet, then paused just long enough to give Ashe a light pat on the rear—casual, almost pyful, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

  Ashe jolted at the contact, heat rushing to his face.

  “Guess I’ll have to pick her up and make her press the button, huh?” J.H. said, gncing toward Chloe’s corner.

  Then he looked at Eli. “You too? Or are we doing this the easy way?”

  Eli stiffened immediately. “N-no!”

  J.H. turned his head, giving Eli a long, unreadable look.

  Eli swallowed hard but forced the words out. “Y-you don’t need to do that. Ashe has Chloe’s voting right—she earned it by being her caretaker.”

  J.H. tilted his head. “Oh, I see. That makes this easier.”Without another word, he turned and strode back toward his cabin.

  The moment J.H. was out of sight, Eli half-dashed, half-crawled over to Ashe. “Holy shit—are you okay? What the hell did he do to you?”

  Ashe blinked up at him, his vision still swimming. The haze was starting to lift, leaving him dizzy and confused. “Huh… what do you mean?” he slurred.

  Eli pressed the back of his hand to Ashe’s forehead. “You’re burning up,” he said, frowning. “Don’t tell me you caught whatever Chloe had.”

  Ashe brushed his hand away, trying to steady himself, though Eli kept a light hold on his arm—just in case he toppled again.

  His mind scrambled to make sense of what had just happened. Everything after J.H.’s touch was a blur—the dizziness, the fog, the strange sense of certainty. J.H. had somehow gotten what he wanted. And… had he patted him on the rear before leaving? The faint sting still lingered.

  Ashe brightened at once, completely misreading Eli’s horrified expression. “See?” he said, voice suddenly full of breathless excitement. “I told you friends do that!”

  Eli stared at him. “Ash—”

  But something in Ashe had already tipped too far. His body felt hot and overcharged, like all the restless energy in him had finally found somewhere to go. His smile stayed fixed, a little too wide, a little too bright.

  “See? I told you!” Ashe blurted. “Now get over here!”

  Before Eli could react, Ashe lunged awkwardly into him, knocking them both backward. Eli hit the floor with a startled grunt, and Ashe ended up sprawled across his chest, breathing hard.

  “A-Ashe—hey, calm down,” Eli said quickly, hands hovering as if he didn’t know whether to push him away or steady him. “Take a breath.”

  Ashe barely seemed to hear him. His thoughts were racing too fast to catch. Heat prickled through him, sharp and restless, and the urge to act hit before he could make sense of it. Up close, Ashe’s scent had turned heady and disorienting—sweet beneath sweat and stress.

  “Get on your stomach!” Ashe said abruptly, pressing at Eli’s shoulder with clumsy insistence.

  “What? Ashe, wait—”

  Eli twisted half onto his stomach more out of confusion than agreement.

  Ashe brought his hand down hard once.WHAM!A sharp sound echoed through the room as Eli jolted, a startled gasp tearing out of him.

  “W-wait—!”

  Ashe did it again.WHAM!Eli’s breath caught in a half-moan, half-cry. He twisted, throwing one hand back in a clumsy attempt to shield himself.

  “ASHE!”

  The third strike nded before he could stop it.WHAM!Eli’s voice cracked. “Stop—you’re scaring me!”

  The words hit like cold water. Ashe froze instantly, breath shuddering out of him. Most of the wild energy that had carried him this far seemed to drain all at once, leaving him shaky and hollow.

  “Y-you said none of your friends had ever done that,” Ashe said, his voice small and unsteady now. “So I wanted to be the first…”

  Eli stayed still for a second, breathing hard. Then, carefully, he said, “Ashe… get off me, okay? And hand me one of those bnkets.”

  He pointed toward the folded stack beside the desk, keeping his tone as calm as he could.

  “O-oh. Right.” Ashe pushed himself up at once, still too dazed to make sense of his own actions. Then his gaze dropped to the small dark splotch on his dress. His stomach sank. He knew what that meant—he just didn’t understand why it was happening now. He grabbed one of the bnkets with fumbling hands and passed it over.

  Eli took it, shifted with visible discomfort, and draped it across his p before finally looking back at Ashe.

  “Sit.”

  Ashe obeyed without question.

  Ashe waited to be scolded, his body still trembling… but it never came. When he finally looked up, Eli’s face was bright red — though not from anger. If anything, he looked nervous. A little scared, even.

  Eventually, Eli spoke, his voice steady but strained. “Ashe… what do you remember from the interaction we just had with J.H.?”

  Ashe shifted awkwardly in his seat. Thinking about it made his head throb faintly, like his mind was trying to dodge the memory altogether. His gaze drifted down — he realized he was still hogging the pillow.

  “H-here,” he said sheepishly, offering it over. “This will help.”

  Eli took it with a small nod and slid it beneath himself, settling back in before repeating, quieter this time,“What do you remember?”

  Ashe pressed his fingers to his temples, trying to think. Right—the picture. That must’ve been J.H. when he was younger. Both he and the girl looked around Ashe’s age… maybe a little older.

  “I remember the photo…” he murmured.

  The next thing to surface was scent—sharp and invasive.“A strong, metallic… cedar smell.”

  His head began to throb harder as more pieces forced their way up. “Ugh… J.H. gave a rousing speech about why he’d make a good leader…”

  He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing out the st few words—

  “And then he… patted my rear and ughed before walking away.”

  Through the pounding in his head, Ashe heard Eli’s voice, distant and muffled.“How does your head feel?”

  “It hurts,” Ashe murmured. “My body feels… wrong.”

  Eli nodded slowly, shifting uncomfortably in pce. After a beat, he stood. “Let’s get you to lie down for a bit. I think J.H. took another shift—it’ll be a while before he’s back.”

  He offered a hand, gently pulling Ashe up. Ashe swayed on his feet, and Eli steadied him, guiding him toward the small tent.

  “I’ll check on you in a little while,” Eli said softly. “Just drink some water and rest your eyes, okay?”

  Ashe nodded faintly as Eli helped him half-crawl, half-wiggle into the tent. The nylon walls glowed faintly in the cube’s light, swallowing him up in their silvery hush.

  Ashe woke to the gentle pressure of a hand on his shoulder. Eli was shaking him awake, voice soft but edged with distraction.

  The memories came back in a fog—he’d fallen asleep mid-panic, his body rebelling against him until exhaustion finally won.

  “I—I took care of Chloe while you were out,” Eli said quietly. “Here, take this. It’s sweet—the sugar should help.”

  He held out a can, pure white with blocky bck text that simply read COLA.

  Ashe groaned softly, stretching in the cramped tent. His head still throbbed faintly, but the shaking was gone. He blinked away the haze of sleep and reached out wordlessly for the drink.

  As Ashe shifted upright, the loose strap of his dress slipped off his shoulder. The fabric sagged just enough to make Eli freeze, eyes darting anywhere but at him.

  Ashe, still half-asleep and unaware, rubbed his eyes with a drowsy groan.

  Eli swallowed hard, suddenly very interested in the far wall.

  With a yawn and a sigh, Ashe cracked open the co. The can hissed softly as he lifted it to his lips, his movements clumsy and nguid. The loose strap slipped farther, and the fabric of his dress sagged lower with each motion.

  Eli’s gaze kept flicking back and forth, as though torn between decency and disaster.

  Ashe let out a long sigh of relief—the co was crisp, cold, and sweet. It had been ages since he’d tasted something like this; in the Cube, it felt like a luxury.

  Eli’s composure finally cracked. His face flushed bright red as he stared down at the floor. “A-Ashe, if you keep doing that, even I won’t be able to hold back.”

  Ashe blinked, his words slow and drowsy. “Why would you need to hold back?”

  Eli risked one gnce upward, froze, then dropped his gaze back on the floor. “Please,” he said through clenched teeth, “get decent.”

  Uncensored Version

  Ashe followed Eli’s gaze downward—and blinked. One of his man boobs had slipped free of the dress. Normally, that would’ve bothered him, but after the day he’d had, he honestly couldn’t find the energy to care.

  With a zy motion, he tugged the strap back into pce. “Better?” he mumbled.

  Eli risked a quick gnce up, then immediately looked away again, his ears still red.

  “M-might want to put that up while you’re at it…” he muttered, gesturing vaguely toward the corner of the tent. “You’re hopeless, Ashe.”

  Ashe followed his gesture—and froze.

  In the corner, his duck-print panties y partly scrunched up, the pattern practically beaming under the tent light.

  “Oh,” he muttered, face warming. “Right.”

  Ashe rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Sorry you had to see that. I swear it’s not what I usually wear.”

  “What you usually wear isn’t my concern,” Eli replied ftly. Then, softening just a little, he added, “Do you feel well enough to talk?”

  Ashe nodded. “Yeah… I feel better. Do you want to come inside?”

  Eli blinked. “C-come inside? Where? The tent? You expect me to sit in your p? It’s barely big enough for you.”

  “Sorry,” Ashe said with a faint ugh. “Still waking up.”

  Eli sighed, rubbing his temple. “Alright, let’s talk. I don’t think we should vote for J.H.” His tone hardened. “I don’t trust him.”

  Ashe blinked, surprised. How could Eli not trust J.H.? The objection didn’t just feel wrong. It felt unfair.

  “What are you talking about?” Ashe asked, incredulous. “He’s confident, strong—he takes control. He works hard, he’s nice. The only reason we even got the thermostat is because of him!”

  “Ashe, calm down. Think about—”

  Ashe cut him off, words tumbling out. “And not only that! When we met during the first weekly competition, he was super nice to me—pyful, even. And he’s rescued me multiple times! If he hadn’t answered my help request, I probably would’ve died!”

  Eli froze. His eyes widened.

  “He… answered your help request?” he asked slowly. His voice dropped, tight with concern. “Ashe—do you have any idea how many Influence Tokens he has on you?”

  Ashe hesitated before blurting out, “At least ten.”

  Eli looked like he’d just swallowed a live wire. “Ashe—that’s bad. You’re only thinking like this because he’s done something to you. Those tokens are dangerous. Have you earned any yourself? Do you even have access to the Influence Shop?”

  Ashe frowned, as if recalling a memory he’d rather not revisit. “I guess they can be used for bad… out of the three I saw, the Nudge one seemed kinda dangerous…”

  Eli looked relieved that Ashe was at least trying to listen. “Yeah, no kidding. That one’s scary—but Fixation is worse.”

  Ashe blinked. “Fixation?”

  Eli’s expression changed. “Wait—you said three. You mean the default three? You don’t have Fixation?”

  Ashe shook his head.

  “And when was the st time you checked the Influence Shop?” Eli asked carefully. “It changes, same as the regur one.”

  Ashe looked ashamed. “I—I actually kinda forgot about it. I’ve been avoiding it. It makes me uncomfortable.”

  Eli thought for a moment, then spoke slowly. “Okay… how about this. I’ll show you mine if you show me yours. But you have to promise this stays between us, alright? I know this isn’t your fault. Something’s stopping you from connecting the dots—but maybe if you see some of this yourself, it’ll help snap you out of it.”

  “I just think tha—” Ashe began, defensive again.

  Eli pressed a finger gently to his lips, shushing him. “I promise I’ll owe you one if you do this. A co, or whatever you want, okay?”

  Ashe huffed. “…Fiiine. But you show me yours first.”

  “Promise you’ll show me yours next?” Eli pressed.

  Ashe looked caught, guilt flickering across his face. “…Ugh. I really didn’t want to look at that again, but sure. Yes, I promise.”

  They walked to Eli’s terminal. Eli fidgeted nervously as he opened the Influence menu. To Ashe’s surprise, two names appeared—his own, and Chloe’s. Eli clicked Ashe’s name, then stepped aside so Ashe could see the screen.

  1 Token | Status Report (with Snapshot) | View subject stats and real-time image.3 Tokens | Fixation: Object/Body Part/Action | Give subject an interest/urge/fixation in your presence. Can be upgraded 3 times.2 Tokens | Nudge: Trust/Fear/Compliance/Empathy/Paranoia/Obsession/Lust/Strength | Manipute subject behavior or feelings toward you. Can stack.1 Token | Companionship | Subject enjoys your company 25% more. Single use.4 Tokens | Safeguard | When the subject enters physical danger, distress, or exceeds stress threshold, you receive an alert and may spend 1 extra token to stabilize heart rate, calm panic, or summon assistance.

  Ashe stared at the screen, his head still a little light. “Yeah,” he said softly, “the Nudge one’s… pretty dangerous. If it can make you like someone more or put thoughts in your head…” He trailed off, chewing his lip. “Still—it’s best if I give J.H. the benefit of the doubt.”

  Eli looked uncomfortable, almost embarrassed, as if showing someone these options felt strangely intimate.

  The silence stretched until Ashe spoke again. “I’ll admit… he probably just used whatever tokens he had. Maybe he doesn’t even know how strong it is. Like how his smell makes me light-headed.”

  Eli perked up at that. “Right—the cedar and metal smell you mentioned before.” He frowned. “I’ll admit, he does smell kind of woodsy—probably from the cedar oil or the furnace he keeps running—but I didn’t catch anything metallic.”

  Ashe spped his fist lightly into his palm, face brightening as though he’d solved a mystery. “That must be it! Some kind of scent-based thingy. If I just ask him to turn it off, I bet he would. He probably doesn’t even realize it’s affecting me like that.”

  Eli just stared at him, words caught behind his teeth. The optimism hurt to look at.

  Then, realizing he was losing Ashe again, he changed tactics—voice lifting with forced cheer.“Y-you’re so right, Ashe! He probably just didn’t want to smell bad or something. Maybe he used Nudge once or twice—just to make you trust him more, or listen better. After all, he’d want his friend to trust him… right?”

  Ashe’s eyes lit up, a bright, trusting smile spreading across his face.“You’re really smart, El! He must have nudged me too! Maybe he’s just the type who gets nervous inside and acts brave to cover it up, huh?”

  “R-right,” Eli said carefully. “Exactly. He did something that keeps you from trusting your own judgment, and something else that compels you to trust him. Which means you should vote for…”He gestured with his hand, prompting Ashe to fill in the bnk.

  “J.H., of course!” Ashe said brightly.

  Eli exhaled through his nose. Lost cause.“…Okay,” he said finally, “then I’ll vote for J.H. too—under one condition. Next time, on one of the future votes, you vote the way I say, no matter what.”

  Ashe blinked, confused.

  Eli pressed on, desperate for leverage. “If you break that promise, we can’t be friends anymore.”

  Ashe’s expression fell instantly. “B-but… we’re gonna be stuck together for a while. It’s best if we stay friends with everyone, right?”

  Eli stood there, arms crossed, posture stiff with mock confidence, saying nothing.

  Ashe’s voice softened, trying to coax him out of silence. “And… I really liked having someone id-back to talk to.” He forced a small smile. “And you were really cool when Chloe needed help!”

  Still nothing.

  Ashe looked up at him like a kicked puppy. “…Does that mean no more butt sps?”

  Eli twitched, composure cracking before he managed to recover. “Y-…Yes.”

  Ashe sighed and dramatically raised his hand like he was taking an oath in court. His voice came out ft, almost mocking:“Fine. I, Ashe Tran, swear to follow El’s lead—even against my own judgment. Because clearly someone doesn’t think I can be trusted to make my own decisions.”

  Eli gave a small, resigned nod—the kind that said I guess that’ll do.“Ashe… what’s with the whole butt-sp thing? You’re honestly starting to make me worry that something’s off in your head—outside of J.H. maniputing you, I mean.”

  Ashe conveniently ignored the st part, breaking eye contact as a shy smile tugged at his lips.“Ah… so, like I said, my friends always did that to me as a joke. One time, early on, I got brave enough to do it back—and he got really mad. After that, I just… stopped trying, even years ter.”

  He rubbed his arm, voice softening. “It felt freeing, I guess. It was really fun…”

  Eli blinked. “He, huh.” The word slipped out before he could stop it, but he didn’t linger on it. Instead, he sighed and leaned back, staring at the ceiling.“And I thought my life couldn’t get any weirder after the whole kidnapped-from-my-bed, forced-bor-in-a-b thing. Yet here we are—half a day into knowing you, and somehow yesterday feels like the normal part of my life.”