1 – Coming Home to Fire
Jason stepped into the apartment, shutting the door behind him with a quiet click, exhaling as he dropped his keys onto the kitchen counter.
He was exhausted.
Not just physically—though his body felt like hell—but mentally. Emotionally.
His world had been turned inside out, and now he had to go home and pretend to be normal again.
Except—
He wasn’t alone.
Jason barely had time to register the sound of footsteps before Caleb came out of the bedroom, arms crossed, eyes blazing with frustration.
“Are you fucking serious?”
Jason sighed. “Caleb—”
“You didn’t come home last night,” Caleb snapped, cutting him off. “You didn’t text. You didn’t call. You just fucking disappeared.”
Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. “I know. I’m sorry.”
Caleb scoffed, hands tightening around his biceps. “Sorry? That’s all you’ve got?”
Jason exhaled. “I was with Tank.”
Caleb’s mouth snapped shut.
And then—
His expression darkened further.
“Oh. So this is about that.”
Jason’s shoulders tensed.
Because Caleb had been avoiding the topic of Tank ever since Bear Bash.
Ever since he realized he had wanted Tank in a way he never had before.
Jason crossed the kitchen, setting his phone down before turning back to Caleb. “Yeah. It is.”
Caleb shook his head. “Jesus Christ, Jason. I know you’re worried about him, but—”
“It’s not just about Tank.”
Jason hadn’t meant to say it like that.
Hadn’t meant to drop it so bluntly.
But Caleb froze, his anger flickering into something sharper.
Jason sighed, rubbing his temples. “Look. Can we sit down?”
Caleb hesitated.
Then—
“…Fine.”
---
2 – Explaining the Impossible
Jason and Caleb sat across from each other on the couch, the silence thick between them.
Caleb’s arms were still crossed, but now his eyes held more than just anger.
There was concern there, too.
Jason leaned forward, elbows on his knees, trying to figure out where the fuck to even begin.
Finally, he just said it.
“Asmodeus.”
Caleb blinked.
“…What?”
Jason exhaled. “You know, the demon of lust. Or—what Christianity calls a demon, anyway.”
Caleb’s brow furrowed. “Okay… and why the fuck are you bringing him up?”
Jason hesitated, then went for it.
“Because Tank isn’t just dealing with some random supernatural bullshit. He’s… part of something bigger now. And so is Atlas.”
Caleb’s lips parted slightly, a flicker of confusion and something deeper crossing his face.
Jason continued.
“Asmodeus isn’t just some name in an old book. He was once a god—is a god, depending on how you look at it. And he was worshipped openly before Christianity decided to demonize him.”
Caleb scoffed. “Okay. Sure. And what does this have to do with you staying out all night?”
Jason met his gaze.
“…Because Atlas is trying to bring his worship back.”
Caleb stilled.
Jason took a deep breath.
“He’s not talking about some crazy cult or some weird ‘sell your soul’ bullshit. He’s talking about something that could actually mean something to gay men everywhere.”
Caleb stared at him, expression unreadable.
Jason pushed forward.
“Asmodeus was never about corruption or evil. That was Christian propaganda. He was about pleasure. Desire. Dominance and submission as sacred. He was—” Jason exhaled. “—ours, Caleb.”
Caleb’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Jason leaned forward. “Think about it. Gay men have been told for centuries that our desires are sinful, that sex is shameful, that we have to hide, to repress, to be quiet. But what if there was a god who didn’t just accept us—but celebrated us?”
Caleb’s jaw tensed.
Jason could see it—the war inside him.
Caleb had never been religious. Never bought into any of the Catholic guilt their families had been raised with.
But that didn’t mean it hadn’t left its marks.
That didn’t mean it wasn’t still lurking in the corners of his mind, whispering that there was something wrong with wanting.
Something wrong with pleasure for pleasure’s sake.
Jason let the silence stretch for a long moment.
And then Caleb exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair.
“…And Tank is part of this?”
Jason nodded. “Yeah.”
Caleb licked his lips. “…And you?”
Jason hesitated.
“…I don’t know.”
Caleb’s gaze flicked up, searching his face.
Jason sighed, rubbing his temple. “I don’t think I can ignore this. Not anymore. Not after everything I’ve seen.”
Caleb watched him for a long, long moment.
Then—
“…What does worship even mean?”
Jason frowned. “What?”
Caleb leaned back against the couch, arms still crossed. “You said Atlas wants to bring Asmodeus’s worship back. What does that actually mean?”
Jason exhaled. “I don’t know exactly.”
Caleb’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Jason shrugged. “But I don’t think it means church pews and hymnals.”
Caleb snorted, shaking his head. “Yeah, no shit.”
Jason hesitated. “I think it means… sex as sacred. Lust as divine. I think it means turning what we already do—what we’ve always done—into something more.”
Caleb’s brow furrowed. “You mean orgies.”
Jason smirked. “Maybe.”
Caleb rolled his eyes. “Great. Religion, but make it sweaty.”
Jason laughed, but there was a weight behind it.
Because Caleb was deflecting.
But Jason could see it.
That curiosity.
That tiny flicker of something he wasn’t ready to name yet.
---
3 – A Shift in Perspective
Caleb sighed, rubbing his hands down his face. “So what, Atlas is a prophet now?”
Jason shrugged. “More like a guide.”
Caleb studied him.
Jason could tell he was trying to wrap his head around it, trying to decide if this was insane or intriguing.
“…I don’t know what to think about this.”
Jason nodded. “I get it.”
Caleb exhaled, shaking his head. “But you really believe it?”
Jason paused.
And then—
“…Yeah. I think I do.”
Caleb’s throat worked, something shifting in his gaze.
Jason let the silence sit between them, giving him space to process.
And finally—
Caleb let out a small, exhausted laugh.
“This is not where I thought this conversation was going.”
Jason chuckled. “Yeah, well. Welcome to my week.”
Caleb shook his head, but the fire in his eyes had dimmed.
The anger was gone.
Now, there was just…
Curiosity.
A small, growing seed of something else.
Something Jason knew wasn’t going to go away anytime soon.
And as they sat there, letting the weight of it settle over them—
Jason realized this was just the beginning.
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