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“Just there,” Sjin indicated the bottom edge of the shield. Rythian nodded, noting the missing block in the underside of the force field. “What are you going to do to him?” the architect asked. “Are you going to kill him?” his voice was hushed.
“No,” Rythian replied shortly.
“R-really?” Sjin stuttered, surprised. “But I thought-”
“Thank you, Sjin,” the mage cut him off, before flying up inside the forcefield. The architect quickly slipped away, not wanting to be seen trespassing this early in the morning.
The mage found Lalna sprawled on his bed, still fully dressed. The scientist was fast asleep, likely only just finished with some late night project. Rythian grabbed him under his arms and threw him on the floor. Lalna swore as he jerked awake and scrambled to his feet. “Good morning,” Rythian greeted him with his katar drawn. Briskly, he hauled the scientist to his feet and set to the task of binding his hands.
Only a few minutes later, Lalna stood in his bedroom, his arms spread and suspended from ropes thrown over the rafters. His shoulders had already begun to ache, though he had only been bound like this for a few minutes at most. He rocked onto his toes, trying to relieve some of the strain. Rythian watched him from across the room, his arms folded across his chest. He waited until Lalna stood still before he approached him again. As Rythian stepped closer, he tugged down his mask.
“You really-” the scientist began, before Rythian pressed his hand against his throat.
“You should keep quiet,” Rythian advised him. He did not choke the scientist, instead warning him with a simple touch. Lalna fell silent, his eyes fixed on the mage. Rythian grabbed hold of his chin. “When I was last here, we played a bit of a game,” he said as he dug his fingers into the man’s skin. “Would you like to play another?”
Lalna hesitated. No, he did not want to play a game that he was certain would end in his death. Even though Rythian had assured him that his first visit had been peaceful, it seemed clear that the mage no longer felt as forgiving. Rythian traced his fingers back along his strong jaw while Lalna continued to mull over his decision. “Lalna,” he said gently to regain his attention. “I’m not going to kill you.”
The scientist visibly relaxed, but only for a moment before he wondered, “What are you doing here then?”
Rythian scrunched up the right side of his mouth, seeming almost pained. It took Lalna several moments to realize that the mage was attempting some sort half smile but had found his damaged lips incapable of the expression. “I’m sure you’ve guessed that I want to fuck you,” Rythian paced before him. “And I certainly want to punish you for the things you’ve done to me,” he smiled fully now. “But if you want me to, I will let you go.”
Lalna laughed, forgetting his aching arms for a moment. “That was the point of you doing all of this? So you could tell me you wanted to fuck?”
Still grinning, Rythian replied, “No. I’ve already made the point I wanted to here.”
“Really?” the scientist shifted his shoulders, amused. “What was it?”
Rythian wetted his lips and inclined his head, smile fading to a darker expression. “I suppose that what I’ve done isn’t clear to you yet, so I’ll tell you.” He stepped closer, stopping when they were nearly cheek to cheek. “I broke into your castle easily. Your forcefield and your nukes did not stop me. No matter what you do, you are vulnerable.” Lalna felt his light breath on his skin. “What I’ve done here is show you why you should be afraid of me.”
“Do you want to stay?” Rythian finally asked as he threaded his fingers through the light blond hair at the nape of Lalna’s neck. The scientist was still for a moment as he considered his choices.
“Yes,” Lalna finally replied, shaking off his reluctance. He was rewarded with a sudden kiss. As the mage’s fingers slid over his scalp, his teeth scraped against the inside of Lalna’s lip. He found the buttons of Lalna’s lab coat and undid them, hands racing down the front of his coat. Rythian slipped his hand under the dull blue shirt underneath, placing his palm on the small of his back.
He finally pulled away to take a knife from his boot. Lalna eyed the weapon carefully. “I won’t hurt you with this,” Rythian reassured him even as he levelled the blade at Lalna’s chest. He drew the blade down from the collar of Lalna’s shirt, cutting the fabric open to show his chest. He slit the sleeves of Lalna’s clothes as well and pulled the garments away.
Rythian sheathed the knife, again moving back. He circled the scientist, his violet eyes intent on newly bared skin. Lalna was an imposing man, even when bound. His shoulders were broad and muscular though his waist was thin. He was even nearly as tall as Rythian. Catching a glimpse of the look on Rythian’s face, Lalna began to suspect he had been strung up like this more for Rythian’s benefit than to simply restrain him.
The mage stopped behind Lalna and pressed a kiss to his fair skin. He wrapped his arm around him, resting his chin on his shoulder. “What do you like, Lalna?” Rythian asked, fingers tracing up his side.
Lalna didn’t bother to ask exactly what he meant, his meaning was clear enough. “I-” he laughed nervously, unsure exactly what sort of answer Rythian wanted.
“It’s clear enough you like control,” Rythian pressed on. “But I don’t think you know what to do with it.” He pushed his fingernail into the skin of Lalna’s hip and dragged his index finger upwards. The scientist tensed, drawing in his stomach as a tiny trail was scraped up his torso. It did not hurt very much, even when the the path grew uneven and dipped between his ribs. Rythian did not stop until he had reached the sensitive skin underneath his arm. He found another spot on Lalna’s side, again tracing his nail along his skin. The first scratch burned softly, already a red raised line on his pale skin.
“You don’t think I knew what to do with it?” Lalna grinned, glancing back at him. “Do you beg for everyone then?”
Temper flaring, Rythian struck him across the face. Lalna recoiled, shocked that Rythian had raised his hand against him. Hand in Lalna’s hair, Rythian shoved him forward. The scientist stumbled and lost his balance. “Shit,” he hissed as his arms were jarred in their sockets.
Rythian retreated, struggling to rein himself in. “Don’t bait me,” he growled as he watched Lalna find his feet.
“What are you going to do?” Lalna asked, voice almost too soft for the words to sound like a challenge. “Will you hurt me?
“Yes,” Rythian undid his belt buckle as he paced around to face Lalna. He pulled his belt free from his trousers. “Do you want me to let you go?”
The scientist stared at the belt, which Rythian now held doubled in his hand. He was certain that it would be extraordinarily painful to let the mage do as he wished. “Why would I let you do that?” Lalna asked, hoping Rythian didn’t have an answer.
“Because you’re curious,” Rythian replied without pause. “You want to know what I can do.” His eyes, as always, were fixed on him. Lalna found it more fascinating how clearly and obviously affected the mage was by seeing him like this.
“Alright,” Lalna finally consented, nervously drawing his lip into his mouth.
The mage ran his hand down Lalna’s back once, fingers taking in every dip of his soft skin. He stepped back, footsteps seeming loud on the floorboards. Lalna braced himself for the first blow. A sharp snap landed across his shoulders. He flinched. It didn’t hurt as much as he expected, though it did sting. A similar blow followed and Lalna took a deep breath. He was going to be fine.
The scientist was completely unprepared for the next strike that landed on his left shoulder. Searing pain cut through him, wrenching him from his idle thoughts. The belt again bit into his skin and he cried out, fingernails digging into his palms as he tried to ride out the pain. As the blows continued, it seemed as though his entire existence shrunk into nothing more than sensation. His first shouts subsided into low groans. He became entirely incapable of speech or even coherent thought as Rythian continued. Then, after what seemed to be an age, but had only been a few brief minutes, Rythian tossed the belt to the floor. The mage stood still for a long moment, catching his breath as he surveyed the damage he had done.
“Lalna?” Rythian brushed the man’s hair out of his face. The scientist opened his eyes, squinting up at him. “I’ll take you down, but you’re going to have to hold onto me, alright?” Rythian held his knife again. Lalna nodded slowly. The mage gripped him under his arm as he cut his wrist loose. Lalna wrapped one arm around Rythian’s shoulders, slumping against him. Rythian stumbled, struggling for a moment to keep them both upright. Regaining his balance, he stretched upward to free Lalna’s other wrist.
Careful of Lalna’s back, Rythian wrapped his arms low around his waist. He kneeled, lowering the scientist to the floor. “Are you holding together alright?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Lalna said even as he grimaced. The blinding pain had now subsided to a burning ache that made him aware of even the slightest movement. More troubling than that was his exhaustion, which left him weak and compliant.
Rythian lifted his chin and kissed him, tracing his tongue along the tip of Lalna’s. Bending his neck, he pressed a line of kisses along the edge of the rising welt on Lalna’s shoulder. The scientist hissed when his gentle lips strayed too close to that mark.
“I’m surprised you didn’t tell me to stop,” Rythian murmured. The mage lay him down on the floor and pressed his mouth to a stretch of smooth, unmarked skin near the small of his back. Avoiding the lash marks and tiny trickles of blood, he covered the broad expanse of skin with kisses. He finally reached Lalna’s neck and paused there to suck at small sections of sensitive skin. Lalna moaned and pressed himself back against Rythian.
“Do you want me to fuck you?” Rythian rubbed his index finger over Lalna’s hip.
Long past caring about his dignity, Lalna breathed, “Please.”
“Wait a moment,” Rythian tapped his fingers against Lalna’s hip before rising. Gingerly, Lalna pushed himself onto his knees to see where he had gone. Already, the mage was returning with a bottle of lube from the chest that he remembered from weeks ago. Lalna found his feet with some trouble and stepped out of his boots. Rythian stopped in his tracks as the scientist undid the button and fly of his trousers. “Christ,” he muttered as Lalna stripped off his remaining clothes. “Let’s get you to the bed.”
The scientist sat at the edge of his bed. “Come on,” he grinned up at Rythian. “You too.” Rythian hesitated, before tossing the bottle onto the bed. He turned away to discard his cape and mask. Lalna’s gaze made him over aware of the scars that peppered his jaw . Much more quickly, Rythian slipped out of his other clothes. Lalna continued to stare, marveling at the slim muscles that were revealed.
“Lift up your leg,” Rythian directed as he grasped at Lalna’s right thigh. The scientist let him guide his leg up onto the bed, bending his knee. Rythian knelt before him and pressed a brief kiss low on Lalna’s stomach as he spread lube on his long fingers. He pressed a slick finger inside the scientist and lowered his lips to mouth at his cock.
“Shit,” Lalna gasped. A slight smile turned the corners of Rythian’s mouth as he continued, adding another finger inside him. He stretched Lalna open as his tongue lazily traced a circle around the head of his cock. The scientist leaned back on his elbows, nearly forgetting not to let his back touch the bed.
The mage withdrew his fingers and stood. Bracing himself with his hands on the mattress, Rythian slid inside him. Moaning, Lalna immediately reached up to hook his arms around Rythian’s neck. He held on tightly as Rythian thrust into him, his pace achingly slow. His loose curls fell across Lalna’s brow when he ducked his head to kiss him. “Faster,” Lalna groaned, desperate for even a little bit more speed. “Please,” he added and he saw the mage briefly grin before he obliged. Finally, Lalna chanced dropping a hand to touch himself. He came jerking himself off, just as Rythian’s breathing grew ragged. Only a moment later, Rythian came as well.
Carefully, Rythian pulled out of Lalna and let him lie down on his side. He himself flopped face down on the mattress. “Are you working at the factory today?” he finally mumbled into the covers.
“Oh fuck,” Lalna jerked upright and immediately regretted it.
“You won’t do well like this,” Rythian observed as the scientist winced. “Give me your hand,” he sighed. Lalna reluctantly obliged. He was surprised when Rythian poured a stream of healing magic into him.. Most of his pain subsided, though his back was still tender to touch. He rolled his shoulders experimentally before bolting out of bed to clean himself up.
Fully dressed, Lalna wandered back to find Rythian still lounging on the bed. “I’m going to go,” he informed him awkwardly.
Rythian nodded disinterestedly. He eyed the ropes that still dangled from the rafters. “I’ll clean up.” Uncertain of what else to say, Lalna nodded wordlessly and left. He flew out the window, sparing the castle a final glance before he departed. The nuclear sphere caught his eye and he flew closer, only to find it completely empty. Cursing to himself, Lalna stormed back inside. “Something wrong?” Rythian asked innocently.
“That took me a fucking age, you bastard!” Lalna shouted. Rythian did not flinch.
“Don’t act like that.” Rythian returned, his voice cold. “I know it’s only a small inconvenience to you since all of your other machines are intact. All I’ve done is make a point.” He turned away from Lalna to find his clothes, leaving the scientist fuming. “Aren’t you supposed to be somewhere?” he shot over his shoulder. Further speech escaping him, Lalna stalked off. The mage moved to the window to watch him fly away, smiling to himself.