Work Text:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The door came open with a metallic groan. He walked into the small room slowly, his gaze sweeping down the naked body of the man inside. This stubborn streak of his was admirable. It was unfortunate that it was currently so inconvenient. He looked around the room with mild disgust. There wasn’t much to be found. The walls were made of rough stone. They were a little damp from some unknown water source. It didn’t make the room cold but it was a little musty. That had been important. He didn’t want the human to get sick. The stone floor under his feet was covered with straw. There was no furniture.
In the middle of the room, mounted from the ceiling was a set of chains. They ended in a set of iron manacles. To his right, the chains were looped through a ring mounted into the wall. Normally when he walked into a similar room, it would reek of all manner of smells. The most prominent was typically blood, pain, or waste. This one was different. He’d ordered that the straw be changed out daily, in case of an accident. One servant whom he trusted, came in to allow the man to urinate and defecate as needed into a receptacle.
He was bathed daily by the same servant. The water he’d been instructed to use was warm, not cold, and not hot. It was to be diluted with either milk or the finest oils. Once he was finished being cleaned, he was to be rubbed down with soft towels. He was to be fed three times a day, with a mid-day snack that was decadent. Unlike the others on this level, the food he was brought was of the highest quality. If he didn’t eat, it was to be reported. That had happened early on but it didn’t last long. Having to be fed with a feeding tube had quickly gotten him to cooperate.
Walking over to the young man, he came to a stop at his side with a frown on his face. If the man had bothered to look up, his extreme displeasure would have been obvious. He looked at the manacles surrounding the wrists critically. They were lined with a butter soft suede. It was a preventative measure. He didn’t want the rough edges of the metal cutting into the delicate pale skin of the man’s wrists. The chain itself got a glare as well. It wasn’t common for him to hang him from the ceiling.
Unfortunately, he’d fought him the last time he’d come to visit him and some lessons needed to be taught. It was a slap on the wrist. That didn’t mean his shoulders probably weren’t screaming at him by now. If he behaved today, he’d have him taken down later tonight. Looking at the man’s downturned face, he sighed in a way that was put upon. “Are you finally ready to cooperate?”
The question got no response.
He reached out to take a hold of the man’s chin and lifted it enough for their gazes to connect. “I grow weary of treating you this way.”
When the soft brown eyes glanced to the side, he sighed again before sliding his thumb over the delicate jaw. “I want to give you everything. Don’t you understand that?” Even as he spoke, his gaze slid downward hungrily. It was just two nights prior that he’d been between the slender legs. From the hunger in his gut, it may as well have been years. “I want to drape your beautiful body in the softest fabrics and the richest jewels. I want to feed you delicacies with my fingers. I want to give you pleasure beyond your wildest imaginings.” He shifted his hand enough to gently but firmly grip the back of the man’s head. It produced a little gasp that had his blood racing. “You’re mine. When will you accept that?”
There was a pause that felt weighted. He knew the man before him was finally going to speak. “I’m not an object. I’m not something to possess.”
The words had a crooked frown settling onto his face. “That is where you’re wrong, amore. You’re my mate. I belong to you as surely as you belong to me.”
He’d barely spoken before the human spoke up in a rush. “I’m not your mate. I…” The rest of the words were cut off with a gasp of pain.
At the denial, his hand had involuntarily tightened in the short brown hair. He leaned closer to practically snarl in the man’s face. “You are my mate. If you truly wish to anger me, deny me again.”
Instead of refuting his claim a second time, the soft brown eyes slid away.
He loosened his handhold. Once his fingers unclamped, they stroked through the soft hair gently. “The minute you accepted him, you accepted me. We’re one and the same.”
Almost the second the words were out the man’s eyes grew damp. The single word he let loose was tremulous. “No.”
Taking a half step closer, he let his eyes caress the man’s face. “John.” He said it plaintively. It was the most vulnerability he was willing to show. This man was the only one who’d ever see even a glimpse of the delicate emotion.
At the issuance of his name, the man turned his face further into his arm.
Instead of saying anything else, he withdrew a small bottle from his robes. The stopper was removed. When it came open the sound was soft. It was enough to have the man shivering in place. As much as he desired his mate, he wouldn’t take things far tonight. The punishment he’d been forced to inflict on him wasn’t ideal to suit his purposes. He had no desire to hurt him further. What he would do though, was give him pleasure. Over time he’d come to realize that things hadn’t changed. Until then he’d make sure his body couldn’t forget what was on offer.
Tipping the bottle over a little, he allowed a good amount of oil to settle into his palm. The bottle was stoppered again and replaced in his pocket. There was also a handkerchief in the same pocket. He pulled it out enough to easily retrieve it later.
“No.”
At the denial, he leaned forward to press a kiss to the man’s freshly shaved cheek. Lifting his hand with the oil, it was tipped slightly only for him to rub his palms together. When he was done, he took a half step closer.
The movement was enough to have the man jerking backward a little. It had him hissing which in turn had him frowning. “No, please.”
He leaned down enough to press another kiss into the man’s temple. “Hush.”
That produced a small sob which he ignored.
This was his right. They were mates. The sooner the human realized that, the sooner he could treat him the way he deserved to be treated. It was appalling that he couldn’t even have his mate sitting at his side at dinner. One of his hands settled lightly on the small firm backside. The other cupped the groin. His hands were big enough to cover the surface of both areas without much trouble. At the touch, the chains above rattled and the man issued a hiccupping gasp.
This isn’t what he wanted. Yet, he couldn’t deny he did feel some arousal. He found the thought of restraining his mate highly pleasurable. He brushed over the firm mounds of flesh gently before dipping his fingers into the crease. It had a tremor going through the man’s body. The long slender legs twitched inward as though trying to close. Using two fingers, he started up a slow stroking motion. At the same time, his other hand started to gently massage the soft member. He was exceedingly careful. The stone hand he possessed was unyielding. Even so, he’d found with the right pressure, his touch wouldn’t cause pain.
When the touch had the member getting firm, his fingers dipped down to gently press against the sack underneath. During the small transition, the human had released a helpless moan. He watched as he tried to bury his face further into his arm. There were tears in his eyes. One of them slipped down his cheek a moment later, making a speedy path toward his chin. With fascination he watched it hang there suspended, the flesh under his hands steadily hardening. Another jerk had it falling to the ground. In seeming tandem, there was now a bead of pre-come glistening at the tip of his mate’s erection.
He moved his hand at the groin upward again to wrap around the hard flesh. The first upward stroke coincided with his finger circling the entrance to the man’s body. Despite all of his protests, the guardian muscle flexed open at his touch. It would seem his body recognized his touch even if the human wasn’t ready to give in. He circled the muscle a few more times, spreading around the oil liberally. In a move that was unintentional, the man’s hips jerked backward toward his hand. A moment later a moan of denial sounded. Trying to dissuade that line of thought, he tightened his grip on the erection and pulled upward a touch aggressively. It had his mate crying out in bliss.
Another second later though, he was babbling through a fresh wave of tears. “No. This isn’t what I want. Please…please stop. I don’t…I don’t want it.”
He only sighed in aggravation. Unless something unexpected happened, he’d come back tomorrow and take him in his mouth. It was one of the few times when his incessant denials didn’t fill the room. Once he’d gotten him nice and pliant, he’d take his own pleasure. After three days, he’d need to spend himself in his mate’s welcoming body. Turning his wrist slightly, his index finger sunk inside.
The resulting shudder rattled the chains and had slim hips flying toward his hand. He pulled his fist upward a moment later, sliding his thumb roughly over the tip. The guttural noise it produced had him smiling. “There we go. That’s a good boy.”
At the praise, the human let loose a little whimper.
Pulling back his finger slightly, he pressed it back in only to slide over a certain hot spot. Immediately the man’s body locked up as his head lolled backward. He didn’t withdraw right away, instead rubbing his finger over the small bump of his prostate diligently.
The erection in his grip swelled. It started to leak copiously. On a downward stroke, his fist brushed against the hardening sack. When the man’s orgasm seemed imminent, he retreated from his manipulation. It produced a sob that was disappointed. He knew that feeling stemmed from two separate things; the desire to stop and the need to reach completion. At the outward pull of his finger, a second one was added to the first. The new stretch had the human unconsciously trying to spread his legs. What he also did was lean closer. This always happened at some point. Typically, it was when he was getting too aroused to care about his circumstances.
He encouraged it. The closeness, his scent brought his mate comfort. That could only help to guide him further along the path that was needed. When he pulled out his fingers, he opened them a little to prompt the muscles to stretch. It had a gurgled sound pressing to his collarbone. The erection in his steadily pumping fist hardened further. He could tell by feel alone that the man had reached his full arousal. There was a twitching to his mate’s hips that he wanted to encourage. It was the knowledge that he needed a little more that had him remaining silent.
After several minutes, he pulled out his two fingers only to return with a third. The new pressure had the man crying out. There was the feel of his damp lips at his collarbone. Above them was the rattle of the chains. He looked down at the way the legs tried to part and took in the way the toes slid sporadically through the straw. There was a soothing rumble in his chest that he allowed to slide out slowly. “Relax now, amore. You’ve taken more than this. Accept it slowly.”
Almost immediately the muscles loosened and the hips seemed to sink onto his fingers. The moan that pressed into his chest was delirious.
When he moved both hands at the same time, a cry pressed into his skin closely followed by the tight internal muscles clamping down. They contracted around his fingers, causing him to let loose a growl that sounded suspiciously close to a purr. He let himself slowly sink into the moment.
Finally, it was as it should be. Tucked tight against his chest was his mate. There was heat coming off of his body, his beautiful skin was glistening with sweat, his small damp mouth was sliding over his skin and the sweet musk of his arousal was filling the room. In his hands, was the human’s hard leaking member. It dripped steadily down his fingers, intermingling their scent. His fingers were buried deep inside of his soft welcoming entrance. The muscles there squeezed him hard, craving being filled by him completely. With every outward pull, they squeezed down in a silent protest. In counter, every push inward had them shuddering and gaping open with sensation.
There was a harder rattle above their heads. “Please.”
He sighed out in pleasure. For the first time tonight, the plea was voiced with the right intention. Tipping his head down slightly, he placed a kiss in the sweaty hair. “It would be my pleasure, beautiful.”
When he withdrew from the kiss, his hands picked up their pace. The three buried deep fairly slammed into the man’s prostate and the one gripping his erection stroked him roughly. After only a few more seconds, he buried the fingers deep only to continue his more direct stroking from earlier. It had his mate screaming out almost immediately, his back trying to bow forward toward his chest. He kept up the rough touches, milking the orgasm out of the human roughly.
The rush of his semen was still flowing when his mate broke down into shudders. Instead of retreating though, he only gentled his touches a little. When the screaming eventually died down into moaning, all of the man’s strength seemed to follow. The ridged posture he’d adopted gave way to him slumping forward. There were still shivers running through his slender body when he seemed to return to his normal state of mind. The splayed legs tried to close even as the hips tried to retreat. He simply followed with his fingers. It made the man moan in that way that hinted at distress.
For the most part, he ignored the sound. Until his orgasm was completely finished, they weren’t done. The member in his grip did eventually go completely soft. He released it soon after, letting his fingers skim through the sweaty curls surrounding the now sensitive groin. At the touch, his mate tried to lean away. Instead of retreating, he followed the movement. The muscles surrounding his fingers were still spasming. As he waited them out, he couldn’t help feeling a little playful. It helped to distract him from his rock-hard erection. He was so hard it was painful.
Instead of indulging though, he’d wait. The build-up would only make his claim sweeter in the days to come. When the muscles calmed completely, he withdrew both of his hands. He looked toward the man’s face even as he grabbed the waiting handkerchief. Any hope he had of catching the human’s gaze was nonexistent as he was once again hiding in his arm. It bothered him but he didn’t comment. Instead, he cleaned off his hands before returning the soiled handkerchief to his pocket.
With that done, he gripped the man’s chin to turn his face in his direction. “Your body knows who you belong to, even if you don’t want to admit it.” He paused long enough to start stroking over the soft skin. “Accept me. As you should. Take your rightful place at my side.” The room got another look of disgust before he reconnected their gazes. “Stop forcing me to leave you in squalor.” When he released his hold, he expected his mate to look away. Instead, he maintained their gaze. The large beautiful eyes quickly refilled with tears. Any need to question why disappeared a moment later.
“Red, please come back.”
A frown settled onto his lips with his disappointment. When he leaned closer, his voice was firm. “He’s gone. I was never the anomaly, he was.”
With that, the human did turn away with a painfilled sob. Instead of attempting to offer up any comfort, he turned to leave the room. As much as he didn’t want his mate to be in pain, the sooner he learned the way of the world the better.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
With a rough gasp, his eyes flew open. He laid in bed breathing hard enough that his lungs hurt. There was a cold sweat covering his limbs. For a moment, he couldn’t remember what was real. A movement to his right had him looking in that direction. The darkness of the room wasn’t enough to hide John from his gaze. An arm flopped over his waist even as the other man buried his face in his upper arm. “Red, u’ okay?”
He reached out at the sleepy mumble. The intention was to cup the back of John’s head. Suddenly remembering that happening in his dream had him faltering.
“Red?”
At the new, more aware, mumble he spoke up softly. “Yeah, I’m okay boy scout. Go back to sleep.”
Instead of doing as he asked, another mumble followed that pressed directly into his skin. “You sure?”
He rolled his eyes. Of course, his lover wouldn’t listen. Typical. With a smile, he leaned down to press a kiss to John’s cheek. “I’m sure. Now go back to sleep. You’ve got your annual PT in the morning.”
The mumble that followed seemed to be in agreement but he couldn’t be sure. Although he felt shaken, he turned on his side in an attempt to get comfortable. This ended up dislodging the other man’s position.
Feeling the need to be close, he reached out to tuck John into his chest. The movement produced a happy little sigh that had him smiling softly. It was as he laid there that he thought on his nightmare. Unlike most of his night terrors, this one had felt disturbingly real. He reached out for the mating bond he shared with his lover. The connection was new, only a few months old. They’d actually been married longer. Although the marriage was still fairly new as well, they’d just passed the one-year mark, when he’d realized he could bond it had felt like the obvious next step.
He loved John more than he thought he could love anyone. Now that he was reaching for it, the connection flared to life under his awareness. It brought him ultimate comfort. As he laid there, drifting off to sleep, something snapped into place. His eyes flew open in horror. The dream wasn’t really a dream. Not in the sense that he normally experienced them. It was a promise. If he ever slipped up. If the end of the world ever did come by his hand, then Anung Un Rama would take John. The mating bond was absolute.
As much as Anung Un Rama was a part of him, now he had just as much claim to his mate. He gulped heavily at the knowledge. It made something inside of him twist up into knots at the thought. At the same time, a small overly protective part of him was happy that John would be safe. Even as he thought it though, he knew it wasn’t a charitable thought. He knew without a doubt that his lover would rather die than meet such a fate.
Despite this understanding, that little bit of relief persisted. Maybe he’d rather die but he wouldn’t be tortured to death. Feeling unsettled, he tried to push the thoughts aside. It didn’t matter. That wouldn’t happen. He’d kill himself first before he let it get to that. In the back of his mind, he could have sworn he heard laughter. Ignoring that as well, he pulled John closer and curled around his smaller body. It would be okay. He’d make sure of it or he would die trying. They’d be fine.
The End