Stuck in the Middle (MxMxM)?

Axel was waiting for him when his Uber pulled up to the complex.

"Something wrong?" Ryder asked.

"No. Just worried." Axel brushed by him. "The guys ran off so I thought I'd wait for you."

"You didn't have to do that."

"Maybe I'm being a little paranoid? I knew you had plans."

"Speaking of plans, what happens when it comes time for the full moon?" Ryder decided to ask as he slipped inside his apartment. "Are they gonna kidnap me?"

"I told them not to do anything rash." The blond put his hands in his pockets and stood in the breezeway. "We can go find a spot. Preferably secluded."

"I was always told 'never follow a stranger to a secondary location'."

Axel laughed. "Yeah well, you might draw attention."

"I can close my windows."

"That won't work. When you first shift, it might be a little uncomfortable. And if you make sounds then the neighbors will definitely hear."

"Um...How 'uncomfortable' will it be exactly?"

He glanced off to the side. "It won't tickle, that's for sure."

"Axel. How uncomfortable will it be?"

"Not too uncomfortable."

*buzz*

Oh, thank you for tuning in. Stupid powers.

"Whatever you say." He was tempted to remind the guy that he could detect lies, but at the same time, he'd rather Axel keep slipping so he could get a better read on him. "Want to come in since the others are gone?"

"Yes please." The blond took his usual spot in the living room. "I won't stay long though."

"You can stay the night if you want?"

Axel did a double take. "Really?"

"Sure. Why not?" Ryder shrugged.

He mostly wanted to see if there was any chance of convincing Axel to stop going along with the rogues' plans.

"Would you mind if I slept in my wolf form?" He then asked. "It's the only way I can feel comfortable."

"Yeah, I don't mind. Can we talk a little more first?"

"Yeah. What did you do tonight?"

"No. I want to talk about you."

"Me?"

"What happened with your parents?" He pried, hoping that the man wouldn't scurry around the topic. "You said you don't have any close family, but you still had to of had parents, right?"

Axel was quiet as he stared down at the floor. "My parents are gone. That's all there is to it."

"But who raised you?"

"No one. I was on my own for a long time until I met these guys. They're..." His eyes lit up and he pulled out his phone. "Let me show you."

Scooching closer, Ryder leaned down and stared at the slew of pictures that Axel pulled up on his screen. "These are the guys. Oh, this one's outdated though. Half those aren't in the group anymore. Let me find a recent one."

Ryder waited, taking note that the people in these images all looked like hoodlums. Some had shaved heads, or raggedy clothes, or scars all over their bodies. Only a handful of them looked decent, but as they scrolled through more recent images, he noticed they disappeared.