Chapter 7 - Alain Deveraux

Darren had hoped that the date that day would be involved enough that he wouldn't have to really talk to anyone. Something like the previous season's karate lessons, or doubles tennis or - fuck, he would have taken competitive puzzling. And he was somewhat in luck at first. Playing beer pong in the pool was rather involved and much more difficult than on a table, though he and Alain were terrible at it. But then they were set loose to spend time one on one with their dates, which probably meant that he'd have to try and resort to plan B.

Production directed them to the shallow end of the pool, which was unfortunate when Darren had rather hoped for somewhere quiet and out of the way like the second floor balcony. At least Carson wasn't anywhere in sight. He slipped into the waist-deep water as Alain perched on the side, and gave him his most inviting smile. "Sorry pool-pong isn't my best skill. Let me make up for it?"

"Oooh." Alain smiled, easily meeting Darren's smile with one just as compelling, which Darren had thought from day one made the older man extremely sexy. He leaned back on his arms on the side of the pool. "I see I need to be careful with you. We could flirt up a storm, couldn't we?"

Darren leaned on the pool deck on one hand, resting the other on Alain's knee. "That wouldn't be such a terrible thing, would it?"

Alain's gaze moved down his body, his smile softening. "Not terrible at all... you are exquisitely sexy, Darren."

Thank god, Darren thought with a rush of relief. He leaned closer, starting to stroke his hand up the outside of his thigh. "Mm, you're quite the looker yourself, you know."

"I may have been told that once or twice." Alain covered his hand with his own, though, stilling his caress. "There's no rush to get to flirting, though... after all, it's been quite the eventful night."

Shit. Darren looked away, just barely managing not to look directly at the cameras. He couldn't just refuse to talk about it, he knew that. Even if he tried, production would be coming in with their prompts and pushes. If not here, then surely later in the bedroom with the Himbos. And that would be far, far worse. But... god, he'd barely even been able to talk about it to Quinn for the cameras, let alone....

Alain leaned closer, cupping his cheek gently. "You don't have to pretend that you're not having a rough time, Darren. And you don't have to talk about it with me. But I'm here to listen if you want to get anything off your chest."

The gentleness of his words, of his touch, felt dangerous. Made Darren feel far too close to breaking. He swallowed hard, looking up at Alain and begging him to understand. "I... really appreciate that, I... just... can't. Not right now."

Darren stared back at him, astonished. Surely production would step in? He stole a glance over towards the cameras despite himself. "I...."

"Darren." Alain gently guided his attention back. "Let's just get to know each other, alright? We don't need to worry about anything else right now."

"Then..." A little shrug. "Maybe we can revisit later this evening? After dinner? If it would help."

"Would it help you to talk about Wes?" Darren couldn't help but shoot back, only half defensively.

"Honestly, yes, though I suspect there's not as much to tell. But we can both talk about that later, alright? Tell me a bit about yourself now."

Darren let himself relax a bit more, though he still couldn't resist, "I don't suppose we can just make out instead?"

Alain chuckled, brushing his bottom lip briefly with his thumb, though it was gone before Darren could try and kiss it. "You are a delightful temptation, darling. But not today. Now... what else do you do for fun, my little firecracker?"

It was far more of a relief than Darren had expected, and Alain was easy to talk to. At first just about fairly inconsequential things, then later Alain's work in Sexology, which Darren hadn't even thought was a field of study but was extremely interesting. He suspected that perhaps some of the things he and Alain talked about - his own findings and observations on relationship and intimacy - may have been priming him to open up more easily. Perhaps he should have felt manipulated, but something about Alain's manner... he seemed so open, so gently honest and joyfully friendly. It was hard not to want to talk to Alain.

It was hard not to think that it might have been easier if he'd just picked the man's silky underwear in the beginning. But... would it have been any more fair to do to Alain what he did to Carson?

"I'm sorry I've been so self-absorbed," Darren said as the afternoon went on. "You've been so kind to me. But the date selection can't have been easy for you this morning either."

Alain gave a shrug and a little rueful smile. "I'd be lying if I said I was particularly surprised."

"Things weren't going well with Wes?" It was hard to imagine anyone not getting along with Alain.

"...well enough," Alain said after a moment's hesitation. "He's very lovely, truly. In other circumstances I would have been more than happy to get more serious with him. But... I suppose I'm a bit cursed if you think about it, Darren."

They'd moved from the pool to the loungers at some point, sipping cold drinks in the shade. "Cursed?"

Alain set his glass down and nodded. "Between training and intuition, it's far too easy for me to get insight into other people's motivations and relationships, and to tell what might be helpful and what detrimental. I'll admit I was very tempted to try and just orchestrate a threesome to see if it might solve the whole problem, but at this point it would be impossible to convince them."

Remembering the morning's conversation, Darren raised an eyebrow. "Um... with Tydall and Zhehan...?"

A surprised laugh. "Oh, that's a different matter entirely. And one whose ship sadly has sailed."

"I provided a bit of... advice, of sorts. They had some concerns about presumed incompatibility. I was happy to help." From the sparkle in Alain's eye, Darren couldn't help but think that help may have perhaps gone beyond advice.

A little nod and a wistful smile. "We all have different reasons for being here. And what we say they are - what we tell ourselves they are - is rarely the real reason why anyone is here. Wes... is running away from very deep emotions. A love that he thinks he can't have. But it coincidentally followed him here. He won't be able to truly make a connection with anyone until he can address that." He leaned closer to Darren's lounge, lowering his voice. "Believe me, if I thought I could fix things for him with a threesome, well... we wouldn't be talking right now. Speaking of...."

Stephen, the odd DILF out for the afternoon's dates, chose that moment to join them. Tense and guarded, it seemed miraculous to Darren how quickly Alain managed to get him relaxed and talking.

"I'm sorry I got in the way of you and Wes," Stephen said, quiet and despondent. "I hadn't meant to..."

Alain shook his head immediately, smiling. "Darling, Wes rightfully saw how much of a busy-body I am. He's right not to focus his affections on me."

"Better you than anyone else," Stephen muttered, then looked up at him. "You'll look after him when I'm gone, won't you? Don't let anyone take advantage of him."

Stephen snorted, extending a hand out. "You really think things are going to change from how they are now? It's better this way anyway, Alain. Just give me some peace of mind, won't you?"

"Of course I'll look after him," Alain replied kindly. "But you know the better choice for that is you, Stephen."

Stephen shook his head. "None of these guys are right for me - forgive me, Darren - and no-one's going to keep me in the competition out of sympathy."

"Did they used to date or something?" Darren asked as Stephen left, and Alain shook his head.

"Worse. Stephen was his thesis advisor." He let out a long sigh, a hair's breadth away from melodrama. "I worked with him, so I'm intimately familiar. They're both crazy about each other. Stephen would marry that sweet young man in a heartbeat if he hadn't convinced himself that he'd lost his chance when he turned him down then. Terrible shame Stephen swore me to secrecy." Then he looked at Darren pointedly, and Darren felt a quiet thrill in the pit of his stomach.

"That really is a shame," he said, winking, and Alain grinned, leaning over to press a kiss to his mouth that was far too fleeting.

It wasn't difficult to find a moment before dinner to corner Wes in the bedroom after they changed. "Hey, you know the only reason Alain was holding back with you is because he knows Stephen's madly in love with you but swore he wouldn't say anything to you, don't you?" he said with a grin. Immediately Wes went bright red, spluttering, and Darren basked in the pleasure of possibly helping someone, and most definitely taking everyone's attention off his bad choices.

He'd considered talking to Alain after dinner. He'd certainly wanted to spend time with the man. He'd managed to snag a seat near him as they ate with some of the crew, but as with most unfilmed mealtimes, their time was spent going over plans and schedules for the next day's filming.

He couldn't make himself look at Carson. But he could feel the weight of his gaze, hurt and confused and imploring. Or perhaps that was his own guilt weighing him down. He wanted to ask Alain if Carson had said anything, but they were heavily discouraged from talking when the cameras weren't rolling.

It hadn't been hard to avoid Nathaniel during the evening. He and Carson had been whisked away for confessionals almost immediately, while the new Daddy - a very handsome and well-dressed Asian DILF named Kaneda Yuki - did the rounds of introductions. Darren had briefly considered throwing his hat in the ring; it was tempting, since Kaneda knew nothing of what had gone down. But Trevor had immediately been all over the man, so Darren told himself that it wasn't worth making things any more complicated.

He tried not to think about the consequences of Carson's afternoon with Trevor clearly not having gone well. He couldn't allow himself to think about that. Not with elimination tomorrow.

Darren forced a smile and took the offered hand. "Hey... welcome to the house." Of course Nathaniel had no choice but to take the last empty bed between Trevor and himself, where Luiz had slept previously. Even if he hadn't, there'd be no way to avoid him.

"Thanks." Nathaniel glanced at the camera, where Quinn was getting settled. "Production wanted to get a bit of us talking, if you don't mind?"

Darren fought the urge to glare at his friend. It wouldn't change things. "Uh... yeah. Of course."

Nathaniel perched on his bed across from him, offering a warm smile. "I'm happy to meet you. It takes someone really special to break through my brother's walls."

Walls? Darren stared at him. It was hard to believe, when Carson had immediately been so warm with him. Or perhaps Nathaniel was just saying that? He managed a small smile, inclining his head. "...your brother is really special. He... he's really going to make someone very happy."

"I hope so," Nathaniel agreed, brows knitting together and lips thinning in a way that was very reminiscent of Carson. "It took a lot to convince him to come here. But I think it's really important to take time away from the grind to think about romance and relationships. He... was ready to go home this morning, though."

Darren's stomach dropped down to his toes. Carson, leave? It wasn't right. He was the one who was supposed to disqualify himself. To remove himself from the picture so Carson could have the chance at something with someone who wasn't here under false pretenses. "...can you convince him to stay?"

"I'm trying," Nathaniel replied. "It's harder for me at the moment, since I'm the one that convinced him to come here in the first place. I was actually hoping - "

"If he wants to go home, just let him." Trevor had just finished changing into his pajamas and flopped down onto the bed, visibly disgruntled. "Why should he stay over someone who deserves to be here?"

"Carson deserves to be here," Darren shot back. "If your date didn't go well it's my fault, not his."

A disbelieving laugh escaped Darren's throat. "Or maybe he's just not comfortable with someone throwing himself at him like a goddamn groupie. Maybe he saw that you're only interested in a guy if they're rich or famous."

Trevor turned bright red. "At least I'm not trying to stay in the competition by offering my ass to every Daddy here!"

The anger he felt for Carson's sake grew hotter. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Everyone knows you were sneaking around with his brother, and now you're after Alain? I bet you're sneaking out tonight with him, aren't you!"

"No-one's sneaking around," Nathaniel said before Darren could snap back, gentle and calm. He held up a hand briefly to Darren in an unmistakable gesture to wait, understanding in his expression. Then he turned to perch cross-legged on the bed facing Trevor. "Trevor, I'm sorry your date didn't go well. It's not your fault. Carson loves deeply, it takes time for him to get over something not going well. Please don't feel badly."

"I don't," Trevor replied, though his expression left Darren unconvinced. "But I'm not wasting my time here on some Daddy that doesn't know what he wants."

It certainly wasn't how Darren had expected the confrontation to go. It would have been far easier if Nathaniel had been angry at him. He stretched out quietly on his bed, and while part of him just wanted to face the wall and ignore everyone until light's out, it was hard not to go over every bit of their conversation. "...Nathaniel?"

For a minute, Darren couldn't speak. He shouldn't say anything. Really, he should be agreeing with Trevor. But... it was becoming apparent that he wasn't going to get out of the house anytime soon, and if Carson really wanted to leave, it would do more harm than good to be prickly. "...it wasn't like that. With me and Carson."

Nathaniel regarded him for a moment, then nodded slowly. "...would you be willing to talk to him about it?"

Darren closed his eyes for a moment. "...he shouldn't waste his time with that. Needs to find someone better."

"Right now all he wants is you," Nathaniel replied quietly. "I can try and dissuade him, but... without hearing it from you...."

Darren resisted the urge to hide under the covers. He tried to imagine explaining himself, seeing Carson even more hurt.... "...I don't know if I can. I know that's unfair to say when there's an elimination tomorrow...."

"Don't worry about that, alright?" Nathaniel offered a soft smile. "I'll make sure Carson is taken care of here. I promise. As long as you'll tell me if there's anything else I can do to help. Alright?"

Despite feeling unconvinced, Darren managed to nod, and finally let himself turn away to try and sleep.

"So... Nathaniel who's working on his doctorate in psychology." Alain leaned across the patio table, eyes sparkling. "Are you here for your own sake, or your brother's?"

Nathaniel gave a soft, huffed laugh, feeling a rush of self-conscious heat even in the warm weather. Alain - the DILF he was certain Quinn had described as "The Sex Pixie" - was the fifth of his six half hour "speed dating" sessions that day, and he could immediately see why Quinn had given him that moniker.

He could also see why Quinn had gone to bed with the man before knowing he was one of his contestants; there was something about Alain that made him feel both immediately comfortable and immediately drawn to the man. Looks wise, he wasn't exactly Nathaniel's normal type. Nathaniel much preferred a man that could throw him around a bit, or at least make Nathaniel stretch up to kiss him (like Quinn, though he was trying not to think about that) and Alain was much closer to his own height and stature. But Nathaniel could see a shrewd intelligence and insight that was extremely sexy, and couldn't help but find himself thinking that Alain would find a way to give him exactly what he wanted in bed.

"Would you believe me if I said both?" he asked, taking a sip of his drink, which he'd been told was a Paloma spritz but didn't think was particularly alcoholic.

"In what way?" Alain leaned over the table, making it sound somehow much more like an invitation than a challenge.

Nathaniel played with the ice in his cup for a moment as he considered his answer. "I believe in the process," he said finally. "I want my brother to find someone, I wouldn't have encouraged him to apply if I didn't. I'm... not sure whether I believe in the process for myself, though. So I suppose being here is as much about professional curiosity as it is about possibly finding love."

"Then we have something else in common there." Alain leaned on one elbow on the table, looking towards the house. They couldn't see anyone inside despite the bright sunlight. "I'm certainly not against finding a connection with someone, fun or serious. But I've definitely enjoyed observing the other contestants so far. And perhaps doing a bit more than just observing." He met Nathaniel's gaze seriously. "Would you like my help with your brother?"

Nathaniel regarded him carefully. He seemed sincere, but.... "I would," he replied honestly. "But this is technically a competition, isn't it? What's in it for you?"

"Technically," Alain agreed. "Though you did just admit that you were here out of professional curiosity as much as I am."

Alain leaned back in his chair, watching him thoughtfully. "Alright. Let me put my cards on the table. I'm here for my friend Stephen as much as I am myself. You could say I'm invested in his being here the same way you are for your brother. Darren's helped me with that, and I like him, so I've decided that I'm invested in him, too. Now that I've spent some time with them both I think they could be very good for each other. So, if you're willing to consider my advice when it comes to... shall we say, certain strategic choices here? Then I'll make sure those strategic choices help you and Carson as well."

A strategic allegiance. Nathaniel was surprised by the soft wave of disappointment he felt, because it was logically the best thing he could have hoped for. He was certain the first season of the show must have had allegiances going on, despite them not getting any air time. Perhaps part of him had believed in the idea of finding romance more than he'd expected. "I appreciate you being so forthright," he replied, giving Alain a smile that he hoped didn't betray his conflicting emotions. "I'm in."

Alain returned his smile, leaning across the table to cover Nathaniel's hand where it toyed with his glass. "It'll make it easier if we couple up, and I don't mind if that becomes real," he said, meeting Nathaniel's gaze with his own. "For fun or serious. If you'll forgive me for saying so, Nathaniel... something tells me that it's something you do want, very much, but... something's holding you back. Or... someone?"

Nathaniel felt his mouth go dry. He did a sweep of the patio, not seeing Quinn at either of the camera stations, or inside the house, though the bright daytime reflections made it difficult to tell for certain. He could be listening to the audio feed, of course, and even if he wasn't there was no telling that it wouldn't get back to him. And things were complicated enough without bringing his feelings for Quinn into the equation, which were ridiculous when they'd only had two dates together, and -

"I'm sure it seems complicated," Alain said softly, as if reading his thoughts. His fingers traced Nathaniel's on the glass. "But I'm happy to listen to anything you need to get off your chest. It might make it easier to focus on things here."

Nathaniel let out a long breath, and nodded. "I think it might. I... there was someone, before I came here." Right before. "He... I keep telling myself that it was too early to really know if it was more than just sexual compatibility, but... I was hoping it would be. Except then he encouraged me to apply for the show, so... surely it was just one-sided."

Alain gave an understanding hum. "Do you want to dig into it now? We have almost ten minutes left for our speed date...."

Nathaniel shook his head. "Tell me quickly what you'd like me to do tonight. Then we should flirt for the camera."

Alain nodded, quickly giving him tips for his final speed date, then outlining a scenario based on what he predicted the night's date selections would be, and the second most likely. "Does that make sense?"

Nathaniel nodded. "I can definitely do that. Now..." he cast a brief glance over the patio again, letting himself believe that Quinn wasn't watching. Then he took another sip of his drink, leaning closer to Alain and wetting his lips in a slow, practiced maneuver that rarely failed to catch a man's attention. "...do you think we might be able to form a connection?"

"I must admit I find you very intriguing, darling." Alain pushed his patio chair back from the table slightly. "You should come join me and we can find out."

Despite his conflict over Quinn, it was hard not to feel a shudder of arousal at Alain's open invitation. Nathaniel found himself rising almost as if compelled, rounding the table, then straddling Alain's lap to perch on his knees with far more boldness than he'd thought himself capable of. "Well," he heard himself say above the quickening drum of his heartbeat, "I certainly find you very compelling intellectually. Physically... might depend on your preferences. I... need a lover who is... let's say, willing to take charge in the bedroom."

"You do, do you." Alain's hands slid up his thighs to grasp his ass, grinning as he pulled Nathaniel against him with a sudden, surprising strength that went straight to Nathaniel's cock. "Well, darling, you've definitely come to the right place," he purred, and pulled Nathaniel into a scorching kiss.

The rest of the afternoon had gone fairly well despite Alain leaving Nathaniel dazed and half hard before his final speed date with Stephen. He'd been able to recover enough to behave as Alain had suggested - sweet, shy and demure but sharply intelligent - and by the end felt fairly confident that he'd hit his mark. He'd also made the most of the opportunity to ask Darren for his opinion on Stephen when Wes was with them in the Himbo bedroom before dinner, which he was fairly certain had achieved his secondary goal of gaining more of Darren's trust as well.

They'd talked through his impressions of each of the other DILFs, and Nathaniel tried his best to focus just on talking with Carson, and not on the questions Quinn was prompting them with.

"Carson, you heard that Nathaniel's time with Alain went beyond just conversation," Quinn said, quiet and even. "You should ask him about that."

Nathaniel's stomach dropped down to his toes. Face burning, he tried to look for Quinn, but his lover had leaned back so the large camera neatly hid his face from Nathaniel's view.

"Carson, please restate the question," Quinn prompted again, and Nathaniel tried to force himself to focus on his brother and not on the chaos of emotion that threatened to overwhelm him.

Carson searched his expression worriedly, clearly picking up on his sudden change of mood. He wet his lips, visibly searching for a way to broach the subject. "I really hope you find someone here, little one," he said finally, trying to sound supportive despite his concern. "I heard maybe... that someone might be Alain? Is there something I should know about?"

"I..." Nathaniel's words stuck in his throat. He couldn't exactly tell Carson about his allegiance, and they'd been warned away from discussing such things in the confessional unless production directly asked them to. He fought the urge again to look at Quinn. "I don't know," he said finally. "Alain is very kind, I just..." taking a deep breath, he looked into the camera. "Talking to him made me realize that I'm rebounding, in a way. I don't want to lead him on by being with him for the wrong reason."

"Nathaniel." Carson's smile was soft and sad. "I know you wanted this for me. But... it's failed. I haven't made a connection with anyone who's going to choose to keep me in DILF Island tonight. And that's okay. I just want to make sure you'll be okay here once I'm gone."

Nathaniel stared at him, giving a little shake of his head. Did he have to spell it out? "You're not going home tonight."

Carson held his gaze evenly, covering his hand with his own. "No. Nathaniel... I can't stay here anymore if he doesn't choose me. So you aren't allowed to waste your choice on me. Alright?"

Quinn dismissed Carson after that, and as he was showing him to the door Nathaniel left the couch, waiting for Quinn beside the camera. He unplugged his mic from its battery pack, fidgeting with the end of the cord.

Quinn's eyes went to it immediately as he turned back. It made Nathaniel more aware than ever that he was pointedly avoiding meeting his gaze, cool in a way that made him seem almost like a completely different man than the one he'd spent those wonderful evenings with. "I'm not supposed to let you go off mic," he said quietly. "Is there something you need to talk about?"

"Have you been listening to me all day?" Nathaniel blurted. He hadn't wanted it to be accusatory, but even to his own ears it sounded embarrassingly hurt.

Quinn sighed, finally looking up at him as he moved closer. "No," he said quietly. "But we all update each other on what's happening, we have to."

"The allegiance?" Quinn offered a careful smile. "It's alright, you're just playing the game like I asked you to. It's a good move. Making out was a good move, too. I'm sure the footage was very believable."

"I don't want to be here!" Nathaniel blurted. "I didn't mean - I don't want to play this game, Quinn! If I can't even keep my brother here then the only thing I've accomplished is just fucking up what we - if we even...." The words stuck in his throat.

The carefulness in Quinn's expression softened, saddened, but once more Nathaniel could see the sweet man he'd met in the bar. Silently he stepped forward, drawing Nathaniel into his arms, and Nathaniel didn't have the strength to resist. With a shuddering breath he gave himself over, burying his face in Quinn's neck.

Quinn buried his fingers in his hair and pressed his lips to his temple, his breath a long, warm sigh. "... you're rebounding?"

Quinn's breath caught noiselessly in a way that could have been a laugh. His arms tightened briefly around him, fingers clenching in his hair. Then he drew back enough to capture Nathaniel's lips to his with a low, helpless groan.

Was it arousal or relief that left Nathaniel immediately breathless and half-hard? He returned Quinn's kiss with a trembling whimper, lips parting eagerly. He'd thought himself helpless to Quinn's kisses before, but now he felt completely overwhelmed, desperate, arching against him. He wrapped his arms up around his shoulders, fingers tangling in his hair to keep him from pulling away. All of the past day's uncertainty flooded back to him in a wave of need, leaving him aching to wrap himself around him and never let go.

Quinn, thank god, seemed equally unwilling to extract himself. His hands raked down Nathaniel's back to his ass, pulling him closer, sucking and biting at his lips and tongue with more desperation than Nathaniel had ever tasted, from him or anyone. "I'm sorry," he managed to gasp between kisses, hands raking down the length of his body again with a helpless whimper. "I'm so sorry. God, Nathaniel - "

"Quinn - !" His name caught in Nathaniel's throat in a needy sob. He wrapped one thigh around him in a desperate attempt to press closer. Quinn swore under his breath, fumbling blindly with the camera beside them. Then he was pulling Nathaniel back over to the couch, pushing him down under him, and Nathaniel couldn't help but grind up against the exquisite weight of his body with a needy cry.

"Shhh..." Quinn kissed the noise from his lips even as he reached between them to fumble with Nathaniel's shorts. "That door doesn't lock. We can't - "

"Then we'd better be quick and quiet," Nathaniel replied, reaching for his shorts as well.

"Fuck," Quinn gasped as he took him in hand, breath stuttered against his lips. His hips canted up into his grasp as he wrapped his fingers around Nathaniel's cock. "Oh my god, Nathaniel...."

"Shh," Nathaniel breathed in response, despite Quinn not being louder than a whisper. "Just kiss me. Just touch me...."

Had he ever been so entirely willing to throw every speck of caution to the wind? The thought of getting caught was terrifying and equally thrilling, but neither could hold a finger to the need to be close to him. Even when Quinn had fucked him over the kitchen counter it hadn't felt this desperate, this needy, like kissing Quinn was more important than breathing. He rocked up into the grip of his hand as much as he could, fingers slick with Quinn's arousal as he jerked him, fumbled and clumsy as Quinn fucked up into his grasp.

Part of him ached to stay here forever, to forget about the competition and the consequences. But he'd needed this too much; it felt too good to hold back, his desperate need for reassurance and intimacy quickly translating to a desperate need to come. Quinn's breath was ragged and heavy against his lips, too labored for kisses, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was losing himself once again to the passion they found together, so much more familiar and longed for than he'd ever imagined, rocking together until he felt Quinn spill in his fingers and ecstasy overwhelmed him entirely.

Breath still ragged, Quinn pressed trembling kisses to his lips, his cheeks, his eyelids. "I'm sorry," he whispered roughly. "I'm sorry I asked you to do this. I didn't - I thought it was just me who felt, I - I didn't mean - "

"Shhh," Nathaniel breathed, unclenching his free hand from Quinn's back. He rubbed over the marks his fingers must have left, then stroked soothingly up into his hair. "It's okay. I should have said something. And I... I wanted to help. I'm sorry I failed."

Quinn shook his head, looking faintly miserable. "No, I'm sorry. I...." he let out a long sigh. Then he stole a lingering kiss before pulling away. "Let me make this less incriminating."

There was an ample supply of kleenex in the confessional studio, thank god. Nathaniel still felt entirely debauched, but at least they weren't about to get caught in flagrante.

"I need to get you back on mic before someone realizes your feed is dead," Quinn said apologetically. "I'm sorry. Nathaniel..." his brows knit together helplessly. "I really like you. When this is done...."

Nathaniel nodded. "We'll talk. I promise. I really like you, too. I won't fool around with anyone else here."

To his surprise Quinn gave a huffed laugh and shook his head. "Oh god, don't hold back for my sake, sweetheart. No use both of us being sexually frustrated."

Smiling, Quinn leaned in to kiss him softly. "I did tell you about my encounter with the Sex Pixie, didn't I? I recommend the third floor back staircase. It's already seen a few illicit encounters. Or the broom closet on the second floor."

Quinn nodded. "Only if you want to, of course. But if I can't pound you into the mattress it would be really nice to at least be able to go to bed imagining someone else doing it. Here, let me plug you in." He stole a long, sweet kiss before drawing back with a soft smile, grabbing a brush to fix his hair. "I just want to get a few soundbites talking about your brother, if you don't mind."

"If we brought your brother and Darren together to talk, do you think it would help?"

In the confessional, Nathaniel sighs. "I wish I knew how to help Carson. He always feels like he has to be the strong one. Like... expressing his own needs would mean he couldn't take care of us. I really wish him and Darren could talk it out, but... I don't think he'll open up unless he feels like Darren is genuinely willing to."

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 7
Darren	Carson	Carson	Carson	Carson	Alain	Alain
Carson	Darren	Darren	Darren	Darren	Trevor	(Spare)
Wes	Alain	Alain	Alain	Alain	Tydall	Tydall
Alain	Wes	Wes	Wes	Wes	Darren	Darren
Trevor	Tydall	Stephen	Stephen	Stephen	Carson	Kaneda
Tydall	Trevor	Zhehan	Zhehan	Zhehan	Wes	Wes
Zhehan	Stephen	Tydall	Tydall	Tydall	Xiang	Xiang
Stephen	Zhehan	Trevor	Trevor	Trevor	(spare)	Nathaniel
Blythe	Luiz	Ryland	Ryland	Ryland	Ryland	Ryland
Ryland		Blythe	Blythe	Blythe	Blythe	Blythe
Xiang					Zhehan	Zhehan
Nathaniel						Stephen
Kaneda						Trevor
Luiz	Blythe	(spare)	———————————— (eliminated)