***Trigger warnings for a panic attack, mentions of vomit, vomiting, and sexual activity.***

Wait to start the song.

Jim was still on guard when Josh's mother opened his bedroom door, causing the usually docile dog to shoot off of the bed, barking like a fiend. Josh sat up quickly with a frightened gasp, nearly falling out of bed as his mother tried to calm Jim down. His mother looked absolutely shocked when Jim stopped barking and jumped back onto Josh's bed, lumbering up into Josh's lap and licking his cheeks to calm him.

"What's gotten into him?" She asked Josh worriedly as she sat down at the foot of his bed.

He was suddenly very aware that he was naked. Only a few blankets and a golden retriever were blocking his naked body from his mother's view. Hopefully she wouldn't notice. He didn't need another "sex is normal, and you don't need to be ashamed" speech from his parents.

That was the downside to the type of novels his parents wrote. Sex was always at the forefront of their minds. Josh hadn't even known what erotic novels were until his parents gave him the sex talk as a kid and then gave him several copies of their own books to answer any follow up questions. He definitely did not read them.

"I had a panic attack last night, so he's trying to keep me calm," Josh explained quickly, only feeling like he was lying a little bit.

His mother looked sympathetic. "Things are going to get easier here. You just need to put yourself out there a little and make some friends."

Josh didn't want to tell his mother just how much of himself he'd already put out there since the move, so he just nodded. His mother kissed his forehead softly.

"Come have breakfast. Your father and I need to talk to you about something, okay?" She said to him gently.

He nodded, letting her kiss his forehead one more time before standing up from his bed. "I'll be out in a minute," he told her, remaining hidden beneath Jim and his blankets.

She nodded, stopping when she reached the door to tell him, "And I just want you to know that I think it's absolutely lovely that you're comfortable enough with your body to sleep na-"

"I need you to get out of my room now please," Josh requested uncomfortably.

His mother chuckled. "Take your time. That's normal too." She winked at him before leaving his room, closing the door behind herself.

"That isn't why I wanted you to leave!" He yelled.

He heard his mother laugh and tell his father, "He needs a little alone time before breakfast. It's probably good for him to blow off some steam before his first day at a new school. He's sleeping naked now. Did you know that?"

"Good for him. There are plenty of health benefits to sleeping naked," his father replied conversationally.

"We should start sleeping naked," his mother decided.

"We should," his father agreed.

Josh looked at Jim, feeling painfully aware that his dog was the only normal member of his family. Jim let out a huff and rested his head on Josh's shoulder.

"I'm not jerking off, in case you were also interested to know," Josh told Jim, who didn't look that interested to know.

He shifted Jim out of his lap before going over to his closet and his stupid school uniform. Jim kept a watchful eye on the perimeter of the room while Josh got dressed, trailing behind Josh when he left his room for breakfast. His parents both smiled at him expectantly when he got to the kitchen. He rolled his eyes.

"I didn't jerk off. I just didn't want anyone in my room," he told them irritably as he sat down at the table.

His parents both hummed their understanding. His father poured him a cup of coffee while his mom slid a stack of pancakes onto his plate for him.

"That's okay too," his father assured him. "Privacy is important."

Josh didn't point out that his parents didn't seem to know what privacy meant, simply starting to eat his pancakes. He was starving after yesterday, practically inhaling the bacon his mom set on his plate. He couldn't get enough to eat, and his parents watched him with wide eyes.

"I guess this is a good transition into what we wanted to discuss with you," his father decided after a moment. Josh already dreaded whatever his father was going to say. "Josh, as you know, your mother and I strongly encourage you to accept and embrace who you are as a sexual being-" His father began, making Josh choke on his pancakes.

"Dad, what the fuck?" He asked despite how full his mouth was. "I'm trying to eat."

His father cleared his throat before continuing. "We strongly encourage you to experiment safely and to never feel shame about how you choose to express yourself with your body. You know that, right?"

"You won't let me forget," Josh pointed out through a mouthful of eggs.

His father gave him a pointed look. "Joshua, we don't want you to feel ashamed about this, but we do want to communicate with you and set a boundary. That's why we're bringing it up."

"Bringing what up?" Josh asked, swallowing his food down before speaking his time.

His mother took the reins then. "Josh, last night, you didn't close the door before you masturbated. While you don't need to feel ashamed about the natural act of masturbation, we do want you to know that masturbation is a private act. You should always close the door if other people are home."

Josh barely remembered coming home last night. He had been so out of it that he hadn't had control over anything he did. This was the worst possible consequence he could imagine.

"We also heard you throw up after you finished. We're worried about what could have caused you to feel like you needed to masturbate until you were physically ill. Do you need to talk about anything? We'll answer any questions you have. This is a safe space," his father offered.

"I have to leave," Josh decided. "Right now. I have to leave right now. I have school."

"Honey-" His mom said softly, but Josh was already back in his bedroom.

He brushed his teeth and put some shoes on before hurrying out of the house. He rode his skateboard to school, grateful to put as much distance between himself and his parents as he could this morning. While he knew their intentions were good, they still freaked him the hell out.

Start the song. Winter is Coming by Radical Face.

When Josh got to the front of the school, he brought his foot down onto the tail of the board and popped it into his hand, carrying it with him into the building. That was when the anxiety of being in a new school hit him. It felt like everyone was looking at him. He kept his head down as he navigated his way to the front office.

He was pretty sure he'd figured out where he needed to be going when a hand slid into his. He looked up in surprise, finding Jenna smiling warmly at him while her friends trailed behind her uncertainly.

"If you're looking for the office, you're completely lost," she told him with a grin.

He stopped walking, looking nervously at Jenna and her friends. After last night, he was extremely wary of her. He was also extremely wary of being late to his first class in a new school though. When he didn't say anything, Jenna and her friends giggled, and she tugged him in the opposite direction of where he'd been walking.

"How's Jim?" Jenna asked Josh, still acting like everything was completely normal between the two of them.

"He's okay," Josh replied quietly, still debating pulling his hand out of her grip and running straight home.

Jenna stopped walking suddenly. She pointed to what was obviously the office, given that it had two women sitting at desks in a small enclave with no door. He must have been so focused on keeping his head down that he didn't look up when he passed it.

As much as Josh just wanted to run into the office and tell them immediately that he was actually going to be homeschooled by his weird parents, he looked at Jenna and quietly said, "Thanks."

She smiled, and Josh was suddenly very distracted by her red lipstick. He barely heard the other girls giggle as he lost his ability to focus entirely. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to push her up against a wall and kiss her until his lungs ran out of air. He wanted to-

"Come on. I'll walk you in," Jenna told him kindly, taking his hand again and leading him into the office.

Her hand was so soft and so delicate. Even just her hands were superior to those of regular girls. She was so far above regular girls. She was a goddess, and he'd never loved anyone as much as he loved her.

Jenna did most of the talking in the office, getting Josh's schedule and locker combination for him. The ladies in the office kept glancing worriedly at Josh, who couldn't look away from Jenna no matter how hard he tried.

"Is he okay?" One of the secretaries asked Jenna quietly.

The gorgeous girl beside him smiled easily. "He's just shy. I keep telling him that he's going to like it here, but he's really nervous. He's from a big city, so this is a big change for him."

The secretaries nodded, glancing nervously between the two teenagers. "Miss Black, you're aware of the school policy on dating?"

Josh was too interested in looking at Jenna's red fingernail polish to think about how strange it was that a school would have a dating policy. Nothing was strange to him right now. The only thought that even existed in his head was how gorgeous Jenna was.

"We're both waiting until marriage," she lied charismatically to the secretaries. "We've never even kissed. Josh respects me. Right, Josh?"

Before Josh even had to think about it, he was nodding loyally. Lying wasn't wrong when he was lying for Jenna. Jenna loved him, and he loved Jenna. He would do anything she asked him to.

"I think that's lovely," the other secretary said with a smile. "Good for you two. Run along to class now. Don't forget to have this slip signed by each of your teachers today, okay? Enjoy your first day, Mr. Dun."

It was physically painful for Josh to tear his eyes away from Jenna to smile politely at the secretaries. "Thank you," he said quietly, earning himself a gentle squeeze of Jenna's hand in his. He almost shivered at the touch.

Jenna led him out of the office, whispering to her friends, "Come on. I want you guys to see this."

The girls followed her and Josh, who was getting jealous looks from every boy they passed. Jenna pulled him into a much less crowded hallway. The girls helped her locate an empty classroom, which Josh was then tugged into. The door closed behind them, and the girls all looked to Jenna for further instruction. She smiled.

"Watch," she told them simply before releasing Josh's hand and turning to face him. Those beautiful red lips curled up into a shy smile. "Look what I brought for you."

Josh's eyes widened and his mouth watered when Jenna lifted her skirt up innocently, showing him the pair of red velvet panties she was wearing. He dropped his skateboard carelessly onto the floor. His hands were trembling as he tried to restrain them at his sides, resorting to balling them into fists.

The girls giggled. "He wants to touch you so badly, Jenna," Ashley said in amazement. "How did you train him?"

Jenna ignored her friends though. She was only looking at Josh with those big blue eyes. "Feel how soft they are," she told Josh sweetly.

Josh didn't even hesitate before his hand was shooting forward. His fingertips barely brushed against the soft velvet, but it was already so intoxicating he couldn't breathe.

"He's shaking," one of the girls whispered, but Josh couldn't see which one. All he could see was Jenna.

"How much time do we have until school starts?" Jenna asked her friends, tilting Josh's face up with two fingers beneath his chin so he'd meet her gaze. She smiled at him as he continued to gently stroke the fabric of her panties without a single thought in his head.

"About twenty minutes," one of the girls reported.

"More or less?" Jenna asked, holding Josh's gaze as she shifted his hand forward to hold her in her entirety. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly when his hand pushed up against her just slightly. She smiled at him.

"A little more," the same girl replied uncertainly.

"Get out," Jenna told them.

"But Jenna-"

"Just get out," she repeated, making Josh's breaths become unsteady when she slid his hand into her panties. "Don't worry. He knows the rules."

Smut warning! Proceed to the next author's note.

Even as she was speaking, Josh was backing her up against the wall, kissing her neck desperately as he fingers stroked her gently. She giggled breathlessly, and her friends giggled with her.

"It's like he can't help himself," one of them said quietly.

"I think he's affected differently because he isn't a virgin," Jenna told them, holding onto the front of Josh's button-up shirt and sighing contentedly as Josh's fingers kept moving against her. "He could stop if he wanted to, I think. He just needs it so badly. I think he's lonely, and that makes him more susceptible to us."

"Jenna, don't be late to class. You'll both be punished if you're late. The secretaries already know he's your boyfriend. They'll think you're sleeping with him. Everything will be ruined," another voice said quickly.

Jenna smiled, her head rolling back against the wall behind her as Josh's fingers slipped inside of her. "The sooner you all get out, the sooner I can give him what he needs and send him on his way. Hayley, keep a lookout for me."

Josh barely heard the door closing over the sound of his own heartbeat. He whimpered when Jenna pushed him away slightly, easing him down onto his knees in front of her. His eyelids were heavy from arousal, and his heart ached with every second he wasn't touching her.

"I told you I brought you a present," she reminded him, pulling her skirt back up. "Unwrap it."

Josh let out a pathetic moan as he slid her panties down her legs, his entire body trembling. "Jenna?" He whispered, licking his lips hopefully.

She smiled, running her palm across his buzzed hair. He looked up at her, feeling tears of desperation fill his eyes. The smile she gave him was sympathetic. She crouched down, and he let her ease him down onto his back.

"You didn't eat breakfast?" She asked him teasingly as she climbed up to straddle him, sitting right atop his stomach.

He whined. "I did, but I'm so hungry. I can't stop being hungry."

Jenna smiled, "That's what happens when you taste forbidden fruit, baby."

She giggled when Josh's stomach grumbled beneath her. He could've cried from relief when she moved to let what he wanted so badly hover just above his mouth. He closed his eyes. He could smell fresh pomegranate, making his mouth water.

"Jenna," he whispered again.

She hushed him. "I already told you, baby. I'll give you whatever you need. Go ahead, but you need to be fast."

And just like that, she was on him, and he could taste the fruit he'd been craving all day. His mouth was sloppy and loud against her, and he couldn't stop moaning as if he was the one being sucked off right now. Nothing mattered except for Jenna though. He wanted to take care of her. He wanted to taste her. He wanted her to soothe his hunger pains.

This time, he only got a chance to satisfy her once before she was climbing off of him. She climbed down along his body, not breaking eye contact as she pulled his zipper down with her teeth and popped the button on his trousers. She was smiling as she kissed along the front of his boxers.

Josh couldn't stop licking his lips, finally feeling full. His satisfaction was only amplified when Jenna's mouth was on him. Just like the night before, he blacked out while she was touching him, awaking to the most intense pleasure he'd ever felt.

The smut is over!

Jenna zipped and buttoned his pants for him before climbing up to sit on his waist again. She smiled, holding those red velvet panties out to him. "You get to keep these ones," she told him with a sly smile. "You know, for when you play with yourself later."

Josh let out a shaky breath as he watched her unzip his backpack and drop the panties inside before zipping it back up. Anxiety washed over him.

"But what if someone sees you? You're not covered anymore. What if someone tries to touch you or-" He rambled fearfully.

Jenna giggled, fixing the collar of Josh's shirt before holding his cheeks and kissing him deeply. She sat back after a moment, smiling at him innocently.

"Let's not forget who belongs to who, Josh," she whispered. "You're my plaything. I'm not yours."

Tears filled Josh's eyes again. "I don't want anyone else to touch you. I want to be the only one who gets to touch you. I want to take care of you," he told her desperately.

She giggled, soothing her hands up his chest. He shivered under her touch. "Agree to be my boyfriend, and I'll think about it," she teased him.

"Okay," Josh replied immediately, making her laugh.

"Good boy. You need to get to class now. Chemistry. Room 207. Don't be late," she told him as she stood up off of him and stepped back. He could see up her skirt again. She smiled as she pulled a garbage can over beside him. "You have five minutes to throw up and get there. I'll see you at lunch."

Josh was confused for only a moment before he was shooting up and vomiting red goo and pomegranate seeds into the bin like he had the night before. Jenna picked up her backpack and left the classroom. He heard her and Hayley speaking to each other excitedly in hushed voices as they left the hallway. He threw up again and again until he was completely empty of seeds. None of his breakfast came up with it, confirming his theory that this wasn't really vomit. He sat trembling beside the garbage can, trying as hard as he could to wrap his mind around how the hell he'd let himself be seduced by Jenna again.

He looked up in fear when the classroom door opened. Solána peeked in, coming into the room silently and closing the door behind herself. She pulled a tissue out of the dispenser atop the vacant instructor's desk, holding it out to Josh. He took it with a shaky hand, wiping his mouth anxiously before dropping the tissue into the trash. He and the girl held each other's gaze wordlessly for a moment.

She broke the eye contact when she slid the garbage can back into place and handed him his skateboard. After a moment of hesitation she whispered, "I really hope you know what you're getting yourself into. Be careful."

"I don't...." His words trailed off quietly as he tried to hold back tears. "This keeps happening. I don't know what it is. What's happening to me?"

She shook her head, taking his hand and helping him to stand up before handing him his backpack too. "Don't worry about it. You're safe. Just...don't tell Jenna I talked to you. Don't tell anyone. My parents would kill me."

Josh nodded, but he was trembling. He couldn't move. Solána hesitated before taking his skateboard and setting it on the instructor's desk so she could help him to pull his backpack on. She smiled at him slightly.

"She's right about one thing. You aren't like the others," she told him quietly. "You're fighting it. You're stronger."

"Fighting what?" He whispered shakily.

Solána smiled at him shyly before taking his cheeks in her hands and kissing him slowly. He melted into her, the smell of fresh herbs filling the room as her soft lips worked with his. Her hands were gentle on his cheeks, making his eyes slip shut. Her lips left his just as quickly as they'd met them, and she smiled at him shyly. His eyes studied hers in confusion.

"Why did you do that?" He whispered.

"Mint settles the stomach," she whispered to him gently. Her thumb caressed his bottom lip lightly. "Don't let her fool you into believing you belong to her, Josh. You don't."

He nodded slightly, unsure of what else to do. She smiled warmly at him.

"How do I make this stop?" He whispered to her.

The beautiful girl in front of him looked sympathetic. "I don't know," she whispered back with a sad smile. "Leave your window open tonight, and don't walk Jenna home. Tell Jim you're expecting someone. Tell Jim you're safe."

"Jim?" Josh asked anxiously.

Solána smiled. "Don't worry. I'll bring him a treat too," she told Josh with a slight smile before releasing him. She walked away from him backwards, smirking at him when he blushed. "That's not a euphemism, by the way. I'm bringing you actual food. Jenna may be making you feel special right now, but don't think for a second you could handle me."

He smiled slightly. "Thanks, I think."

She giggled. "Congratulations, Josh Dun from Columbus. You just made your first friend."

He laughed quietly. "Thank you. Really. Thank you."

She smiled, picking up his skateboard and holding a hand out to him. "I'll walk you to class. You've got a lot more enemies than friends right now."

"Enemies?" He asked nervously, taking her hand uncertainly.

"You don't honestly think you're the only guy who wants to be in Jenna's pants, do you?" She asked with a smirk, releasing his hand to open the door. "She's the only girl in this town who's allowed to talk to them. Of course they're all trying to shoot their shot, and now some new guy shows up and gets a three-pointer before the moving van even leaves? They're going to be out for blood."

"But you can't even talk to me in front of them, so how does having you for a friend help me?" He asked.

Solána stopped for a moment with her hand on the door handle. She lifted it off after a second of consideration before sliding a pair of silky mint green panties down her legs. She stepped out of them before tucking them into his back pocket so they were just barely visible.

"If anyone asks, my mouth was made for better things than talking," she told him.

"Won't Jenna be mad?" He asked anxiously as she turned the door handle.

Solána shrugged, looking over her shoulder at Josh. "She's having to get used to sharing her toys. She'll get over it. You let me worry about her. I've got your back."

"Thank you," Josh replied quietly.

She smiled, kissing his cheek before releasing his hand and leaving the room. He followed her uncertainly, painfully aware of the weight of her panties in his back pocket. Jenna's were still in his backpack, and he was starting to feel like he was smuggling contraband.

Solána was right. He got plenty of dirty looks as he followed her to his first class, chemistry. She didn't seem to notice any of them, simply walking confidently to the classroom with him. She stopped in front of it, holding his gaze as she handed him his skateboard. He was too anxious to thank her or smile at her, but that was okay. She didn't smile at him either. She just turned and left down the hallway, holding tightly to the straps of her green backpack.

Josh walked over to the teacher, handed her his slip from the office, and timidly introduced himself. She read through the slip quickly before looking at him.

"You don't have your service dog with you today, Mr. Dun," she noted as she signed the paper. "Don't worry. I'll try not to draw attention to you, and you can leave class if you need to. I hope you'll enjoy Applecrest. It's a beautiful town. Go ahead and take a seat over there next to Hayley. She'll be your lab partner."

She pointed across the room to a girl with long bleached blonde hair. Josh's stomach dropped. She was Jenna's friend. He tried to avoid eye contact with everyone as he walked over and sat in the chair beside Hayley's. She studied him for a moment with dark almond-shaped eyes. Her eyes fell on Solána's underwear in his pocket before drifting away from him. She opened her notebook and scribbled on one of the pages before discretely sliding it to him.

"Jenna is going to kill you," the note said.

He swallowed hard, sliding her pencil out of her hand without touching her fingers and scribbling back, "I think she already is killing me."

Hayley smiled slightly. Taking her pencil back from him and setting it down on the top of the lab bench before crossing her legs and looking up at the front of the classroom. The teacher didn't introduce Josh to the class, launching into the lesson for the day. Hayley picked up her pencil again, flipping to a new page and taking notes.

"Gefjon is watching you," Hayley muttered under her breath, glancing at Josh. "Follow the rules, and nothing bad will happen to you."

Josh's blood ran cold as he looked at her with wide eyes. "What?" He whispered back.

She didn't repeat herself, continuing to take notes. Josh's hand was trembling as he tried to do the same, his writing not even legible. He could feel a panic attack building, and he deeply regretted not bringing Jim to school today. How could he have forgotten Jim? He kept forgetting Jim.

His breathing was unsteady, and the room kept getting smaller around him. Hayley glanced at Josh with concern, but remained silent. The class fell silent when Josh shoved his things back into his backpack and grabbed his skateboard before hurrying out of the classroom. He ran out of the school and all of the way home, tears streaming down his face as he did so. He couldn't stop crying, feeling more homesick for Columbus than ever as his panic attack wracked its way through his body.

He yanked his front door open when he got home, slamming it shut and sliding down it as he gasped for breath. Jim was running to him before he'd even hit the floor, licking Josh's face to try and calm him down. He climbed into Josh's lap, putting as much of his body weight on his panicking owner as he could to reset his nervous system for him.

"Honey?" Josh's mom asked worriedly as she came into the entryway. "What happened? What are you doing home already?"

Josh just buried his face against Jim's chest and sobbed, wrapping his arms around the service dog. Jim continued to do everything he'd been trained to do until Josh's breathing evened out and his muscles relaxed. His fingers soothed along Jim's back as he caught his breath.

"I forgot Jim," Josh told his mother shakily.

She sat down on the floor beside him, helping him to rest his head on her shoulder as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "I was just about to bring him to you," she told him.

Josh nodded, feeling Jim's vest wrapped around his little torso. He let out a weak breath, burying his face against his mother's shoulder. "I want to go home," he whispered to her.

She sighed. "You just need to get used to Applecrest, Josh. You'll love it here."

"I hate it here," he whimpered out.

She kissed his forehead, letting out a quivering breath of her own. "Take Jim into your room and get some rest. I'll call the school. You can start school next week instead. We pushed you into the deep end too soon. Have you called Valerie yet?"

"My phone doesn't have service here," he whispered.

His mother hummed. "I'll have your dad pick up a landline today. We'll get it set up as quickly as we can. I'm sorry, honey. We didn't mean to take your support system away from you. You still have us though, and you still have Jim."

Josh nodded, pulling the dog in his lap closer. "Yeah," he whispered quietly.

His mother sighed. "Jim, take Josh to bed," she told the dog as she squeezed Josh's hand. "Keep an eye on him."

The dog lifted his head and looked at Josh, whimpering to get his attention before climbing out of Josh's lap. Josh stood up shakily, following his dog to his new bedroom. His mother stood as well, walking over to a pile of boxes in the living room.

"I love you," she reminded Josh.

"I love you too," he replied quietly.

She smiled sadly at him. "Get some rest."

He nodded, closing his door behind himself and Jim before changing into some sweats and a t-shirt. Jim waited for Josh to climb into bed and get settled before hopping up next to him and snuggling against his side. He climbed back down after a moment though. Josh sat up and looked curiously as his dog, who pulled Josh's pants out of his laundry basket. He pulled Solána's underwear out of the back pocket, sniffing it. He looked up at Josh for a second.

"Yeah. I know," Josh whispered to Jim. "It's a bad idea." Jim walked over to Josh's backpack, sniffing it as well. "Jenna's are in there," Josh told him.

Jim growled at the backpack, backing himself up toward the bed. He climbed back up next to Josh, and settled down beside him. His eyes surveyed the room again protectively.

"Good boy, Jim," Josh whispered, rubbing his dog's back. "Thank you."

Jim turned his head and kissed Josh's arm quickly before he was back on duty. He let Josh take his vest off for him before watching Josh lay back down. Only then did Josh feel safe to close his eyes and try to sleep.

"These girls are going to kill me, Jim," Josh mumbled.

Jim snarled out his disagreement, making Josh smile.

"Thanks, buddy. I've got your back too," Josh replied.

Jim rested his head on the small of Josh's back then, letting Josh know he was safe to go to sleep. Josh let out a soft breath before relaxing. He never wanted to go back to that school, and he sure as hell never would without Jim there with him.