### Sex God Saga 17
### I'm Here To Lay A Pipe
SUNDAY:
The Onyx was for high-society. Neon Sin was for the everyday guys and gals. The Drain was for misfits and those who liked to pretend they were such.
Down from Marshall Lane was a footpath so well-trodden the dirt had compacted to rival concrete. Just far enough to be fully hidden by shrubs was a rusty chain-link fence, a few posters fluttering along it.
Woven into the light stream of party-goers, Theo leaned on mediumship. An Outsider was traveling up and down the fence, a fae protecting the perimeter. It was powerful enough to at least detect and warn in case of breaches -- by demons, a police raid, local gangs, rogue Redeemers -- if not outright stop them.
Fulin had his arm around Theo's shoulder, the stringer top revealing much more than it hit, the black baseball pants purposefully ripped at the sides.
But there were more reasons for Theo to feel secure.
He had loaded up on V, starting even before the naked Primal run with a Valence-heavy session of meditation at Ikigai Studio. He had pre-drawn seals, which was its own kind of meditation.
Incu had bound two wisps for him. Glinty resided in a tea spoon in his back pocket, and the newly acquired Squinty resided in the spiderweb the conjurer had found it in, now wrapped around his middle finger like a filigree ring, kept intact by the wisp's V-fed doing.
Theo had put on a thin jacket that looked like it had paint splattered on it and jeans with several chains. It fit the vibe.
The Drain was the only building beyond the fence, an old warehouse-like building. The clientele was punk or in other ways alternative, skewing young. Music thumped, lights were dim. The brightest spots were the bar and the DJ booth where Ray Johnson worked and danced, his fluffy locks flying.
Keith was already there, looking frustratingly stunning in all white. An oversized shirt with a collar so wide it hung off the man's shoulder, artfully ripped jeans, a smattering of rings and a crescent moon dangling on a hoop earring.
He was dancing between two girls and looked amazing enough to make the world around him fade.
But Fulin was right next to Theo, showing a lot of skin and muscle, touching Theo like he didn't even care that others saw them as a gay couple. Enough attention to weaken Theo's knees.
Keith made his way over. He danced up to Celeste Lee, who had come with them. It was also her first time at the Drain.
Fulin started dancing and Theo had no choice but to follow. The alpha danced aggressively, taking up more space than Theo would have ever dared to claim.
There were enough black people that the Stygians didn't stand out like in the average Harpersfield crowd. Theo eventually spotted summer goddess champion Willow, Neon Sin co-owner Scarlett, and finally bouncer Chase Powell with the strong jaw and eye tattoos patrolling as much as mingling.
Then there was Cain.
The white hair gave him away. The boyish man wore pants so ripped it was a miracle they stayed on his thin frame. His black shirt was washed out and tattered. He danced by himself.
Someone tapped Theo on the shoulder. Fulin nodded at the person before Theo turned to look.
Deep black skin. Frosted tips. He was shirtless, his baggy red pants sagging enough to reveal a lack of underwear.
Victor, Shining Dark steward and preliminary king or archduke or whatever.
"Hey wonder-hole," he shouted.
"Hello sir," Theo shouted back. "Happy to be here."
Victor waved them both along. "Get drinks. Let's chat."
The Stygian got them free glasses of something. Beer for Fulin, a transparent shot for himself and a blue drink with a sugar frosted rim for Theo.
They made their way to 'the pipes', a twisting series of abandoned storm sewers, leading from the main building, connected by later installed concrete tunnels. Harsh light shot from sparse fixtures.
Victor found them a quieter dead-end, where two skinny white boys were half-asleep, already too drunk.
"Heard Tank's training you to become a werewolf," Victor said.
"We figured we'd try," Theo said. "After work I went straight to Fulin to see if there's something Primal inside me."
Victor looked up and down both men. "Checking the 'sphere gets me a blissfully fucked out Tank and a sex-frazzled wonder-hole. Did you actually do any training you horndogs?"
Fulin slapped Theo ass but didn't say anything, just sipping beer.
"Some," Theo said. "Third eye is a no. Maybe I'm just failing but I don't *see* differently when someone lies. Would have been useful."
"But?" Victor said. "You're burning to tell me something."
"Yes sir. I managed metamorphosis. I shifted my thumb shorter and longer. Then I was empty. Seems I have precious little juice."
Victor laughed. "Don't get it stuck like that."
Fulin pulled Theo in by the waist. "Can't happen. Permanent metamorphing feels different. Like you're not supposed to. Like you have a test coming up and you studied shit all. It's the body noticing you're burning a finite resource."
"Oh, good," Victor said. "So you're not going to get a Tank-level monstercock?"
All three of them glanced at Fulin's crotch, which was neatly glamoured to have a merely reasonable bulge.
"Guess not," Theo said. "Maybe because real Primals can convert Vigor into shifting but I'm mixing up all the V. Shaman drawbacks."
Fulin pulled him in. "I like you just the way you are."
"Likewise, sir."
They kissed, casual and sweet.
"Sweet lips," Fulin said.
"It's a good drink," Theo said and raised his glass. "Fruity. You picked well, Victor, sir, even though I'm feeling slightly judged."
Victor grinned. "So Tank's queer now? Or what's going on?"
The bodybuilder shrugged his naked shoulders, making his pecs bounce. "I hammered his ass for two hours. Don't know what that makes me but I never want to stop. If he wants a boyfriend, I'm a boyfriend."
Theo's heart sped up. He wanted to give the alpha max level as a reward immediately. "Soulsearching done?"
Fulin smirked aside, eyes half-rolling. "It was done the second you took my whole girth like a champ, faggot."
Victor poked them both in the chest. "Not to ruin your moment but I have an agenda. Wonder-hole, you said you'd like to try and reconcile with Mo. I can fetch him if that's okay. Go have a good time at the club till then, kay?"
### ### ###
The pipes were labyrinthine enough the duo took a bit to find the dancefloor again. They weren't out of the tunnel yet when Theo spotted Cain again, leaning on the concave wall.
From up close, the twink looked like he'd been through the wringer. His whole face was sunken, pale to the point of looking green-ish. Was he sick? How could he have deteriorated this much in just a week? And why was he still partying?
Just entering the dance floor, Theo pulled back.
"Fulin, can you go ahead?"
The Primal saw Cain, too. "You want to chat with the kid? Sure, I'll try not to miss you for a few minutes."