The Scumbag's Guide To Heroism

The call ended. I took a long drink of my pineapple soda, hoping the cold would douse the heat Diane had kindled.

"You okay?" Sloane asked, eyeing me suspiciously. "Your face is all red."

"Just tired," I lied. "The exam took more out of me than I thought."

Sloane nodded, seemingly satisfied with my explanation. She took a sip of her cola and leaned back against the couch.

"Two weeks of waiting is going to kill me," she groaned.

"It’ll go by fast." I set my glass down on the coffee table. "We’ll keep training. If we both get in, we need to be ready for whatever they throw at us."

"When we both get in," Sloane corrected. She stretched her arms above her head, causing her tank top to ride up and expose a sliver of her stomach. I tried not to stare. "Speaking of training, we should take tomorrow off. Let our bodies recover."

"Agreed."

An awkward silence stretched between us. My phone buzzed with a notification—probably Felicity texting again—but I ignored it.

"So..." Sloane turned toward me, tucking one leg underneath her on the couch. "My mom’s not coming back until tomorrow night."

"Yeah?"

"And we have the house to ourselves." Her voice dropped lower, her blue eyes fixed on mine with uncharacteristic uncertainty.

Oh shit.

The System pinged another notification: Sloane Fitzgerald’s Temptation Gauge has increased to 77%. Current stage: DEVOTED.

"We do," I replied cautiously.

Sloane’s cheeks flushed pink. She looked down at her hands. "I was thinking... we’ve been training really hard. And we both did well on the exam. Maybe we should... celebrate?"

Her meaning couldn’t have been clearer if she’d skywritten it. My heart rate doubled instantly.

"Celebrate how?" I asked, because apparently I enjoyed torturing myself.

Sloane punched my arm. Hard. "Don’t make me spell it out, idiot."

"I just want to be sure we’re on the same page."

"We are." She met my eyes again, determination replacing uncertainty. "I want you. Tonight."

Well, fuck.

My mind flashed with an image of Diane. The promise of a ’proper welcome home’ tomorrow. Sloane’s mother. This was a landmine. A clean, simple ’no’ was the only sane response.

But the System pinged in my vision, the reward for the Side Quest a glittering promise. And Sloane was right here, her hand warm in mine, looking at me with an honesty that cut through the noise. Sanity felt very far away. My principles could wait.

"Are you sure?" I asked, because some tiny part of me still wanted to pretend I had principles.

Sloane rolled her eyes. "No, I just said that for fun." She shifted closer, her hand finding mine on the couch. "I’ve wanted this for... a while. And I’m tired of waiting."

She leaned in and kissed me, her lips soft but insistent against mine. I kissed her back, my hand moving to cup her face. She tasted like cola and something distinctly Sloane—fierce and sweet at once.

The Oracle Feed helpfully informed me that my Sexercise passive trait had activated, tracking potential attribute gains based on duration, intensity, and partner satisfaction. I ignored it, focusing instead on the way Sloane’s breath hitched when I slid my hand to the back of her neck.

She pulled back, her blue eyes dark with desire. "My room or yours?"

"Yours is further from the front door," I pointed out. "If someone comes home early..."

Sloane nodded, apparently satisfied with my tactical thinking. She stood up and offered me her hand. I took it, allowing her to pull me to my feet.

📋 MAIN QUEST

Quest: The Second Pillar

Description: The first pillar was earned through audacity. A boundary crossed in thirty seconds with no preparation and no warning. This one is different. This one she is offering you. Freely. Completely. With full knowledge of what she wants and exactly who she wants it from.

The question is not whether you deserve this. The question is whether you are the kind of man who can look someone in the eye when they hand you something real and actually take it.

Stop overthinking. She has waited long enough.

Primary Objective: Fully satisfy Sloane Fitzgerald sexually.

Bonus Objective: Make her scream your name loud enough to be heard from the hallway.

Time Limit: Tonight

Rewards:

800 Scumbag Points

One (1) Gold Gacha Pull

Permanent Gauge notation: First

Bonus Reward:

400 Scumbag Points

One (1) Silver Gacha Pull

Temporary buff applied to Sloane Fitzgerald: Claimed Duration: 72 hours

Failure Penalty:

Sloane Fitzgerald Temptation Gauge frozen at current value for 14 days

Permanent notation added to host file: Hesitated when it mattered

System notation: She offered. You declined. She will not forget that. Neither will I.

Sloane tugged me up the stairs, her hand warm in mine, unaware of the absolute chaos swirling around us.

Sloane’s hand was warm, tugging me up the stairs with a certainty that left no room for second thoughts. She pushed her bedroom door open and pulled me into the dark. The air inside smelled like clean laundry and faintly of ozone, the lingering scent of her Aspect.

In the sliver of light from the hallway, I saw a space that was pure Sloane: meticulously organized training gear in one corner, a messy pile of clothes on a chair in the other.

Before the door clicked shut, I caught my reflection in the hallway mirror. My eyes were dark, hungry. I didn’t recognize the guy looking back at me, but I knew I wasn’t going to stop him.

Sloane locked the door behind us and turned to face me, her expression a mix of nervousness and determination.

"So," she said, her fingers playing with the hem of her tank top. "How do we... start?"

I stepped closer, placing my hands on her waist. "We already did."

I kissed her again, deeper this time, backing her slowly toward the bed. Her hands slid under my shirt, her fingers tracing the muscle definition I’d gained through our training sessions together. When we broke for air, I pulled my shirt over my head, tossing it aside.

Sloane’s eyes widened slightly as she took in my bare chest. "You’ve really filled out since we started training."

"All thanks to you." I tugged gently at the bottom of her tank top. "May I?"

She nodded, lifting her arms so I could pull it off. The pink lace of her bra contrasted beautifully with her skin tone. She wasn’t as full-figured as Diane, but her body was athletic, toned from years of training her Aspect.

"You’re beautiful," I said, meaning it despite the complications of our situation.

Sloane blushed furiously. "Shut up and kiss me again."

I complied, my hands sliding over the firm, warm skin of her back, tracing the line of her spine. She pulled me down onto the bed, the mattress groaning under our combined weight.

I moved my lips to her neck, tasting the faint salt of her skin, and was rewarded with a sharp, hitching gasp right beside my ear.

Her hands fumbled with the button of my jeans, her movements becoming more urgent. I helped her, kicking them off while she wiggled out of her sweatpants. The sight of Sloane in nothing but pink matching underwear temporarily short-circuited my brain.

"You okay?" she asked, noticing my pause.

"More than okay. Just... taking a mental picture."

She rolled her eyes, but her smile told me she appreciated the sentiment. "Come here."

I lowered myself over her, supporting my weight on my elbows as we kissed again. Her legs wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer. Through the thin fabric of our underwear, I could feel the heat between her legs pressing against me.

"Lukas," she breathed against my ear. "I want you."