Alex isn't Sebastian's boyfriend. He's made that very clear — to Sebastian, to himself, to anyone who might ask. What they have is just an arrangement. Convenient. Physical. Nothing that requires a label.
So when Sebastian lays out the rules for this year's Egg Festival, Alex tells himself it's just a game. He can handle it. He's handled everything Sebastian's thrown at him for months.
He's fine.
He's not fine.
Because somewhere between the starting pistol and the closing ceremony, between Sebastian's low voice in his ear and his own body's catastrophic betrayal, Alex is forced to confront something he's been working very hard not to think about — that he doesn't just tolerate what Sebastian does to him.
He craves it.