The Possessor

Dominic

“It’s not like we’re in the same brain.” I say, and Jake’s strange colored eyes narrow a little. We’re curled up on his bed, in a big tangle of limbs, and somehow I’m more comfortable here, I feel safer here, then anything or anywhere I can remember. We‘ve been here for hours, just talking. “We’re two separate entities in the same body. We share nerve endings, but not thoughts. I’m affected by its emotions, but we disagree about things.”

“How did you get yours?” he asks me, looking at the crystal, running his fingers against the skin just above it. The touch is soft, almost timid, and it makes me shiver slightly. “How old were you?”

“Three.” I tell him. “I don’t remember it, but my father says that I didn’t really have a choice. Most people nowadays go through testing to see if they’re compatible for a Possessor. There’s a waiting list. Like… adopting. A lot of people who find mates will give the new Possessor to this group that finds them hosts.”

“Is that what you’ll do with yours?” he asks me, curious. “With the one… I mean, if we mate…”

I shrug. “I don’t think my Possessor’s decided yet. It’s his choice, after all.” Jake nods at me. “What else do you want to know?”

“When we do mate, will your Possessor be in control?”

“No. I will be. But mating and just having sex are sort of different. The physical contact is needed, of course. It opens… pathways, I guess. But the actual mating between you and my Possessor won’t be a physical thing. It’s mental.”

“Oh.” he looks away, frowning in thought. “Does it feel different compared to regular sex?”

“I don’t know.” I tell him honestly. “I’ve never done it before, remember.”

He nods his head. We sit in silence for a while, and I content myself with tracing the lines of muscles in his back. He smiles at me, obviously enjoying the physical contact, and I’m startled at how much I like this; being in his bed, touching him, talking to him. The idea that I might not be a straight as I’d always thought crosses my mind again, and I’m suddenly so sick of questioning myself that I feel like screaming.

“Come here.” I say gently, and he slides up without hesitation. I grab the back of his head with one hand and pull his mouth down onto mine, wanting to taste him again, wanting to touch him more. He sighs against my lips and parts for me once more, and this is so easy, so natural, like we’ve been doing this for years. The taste of him is intoxicating, the velvety feel of his tongue against mine, the press of him above and beside me, and I bury both hands in his hair and deepen the kiss until I make him whimper. He slides closer, pressing himself against my side, one hand bracing his weight up, the other clutching the fabric of my shirt. I roll us over, pinning him beneath me, and he pulls his mouth away, panting. He lean down, pressing my face against his neck, breathing in that smell, and lick at his skin. He moans and arches up against me, and the taste of his skin is almost as good as his mouth.

I feel my Possessor uncoil from the crystal, ghosting across my skin, and I’m so delirious with the taste of the guy under me that I don’t even bother to fight him. I hear Jake let out a sharp, harsh whimpering sound and latch onto his pulse, feeling as my Possessor slides under Jake’s shirt and across his chest. He writhes under me, his fingers digging almost painfully into my shoulders, and I use one hand to hold his head to the side so I can keep at his neck while my other hand strokes and pets at the skin on his stomach. My brain’s on autopilot, which means that most of me just wants to destroy this kid under me, and I’m too tired of feeling so uncomfortable with myself to bother to stop.

“Dominic.” he whispers hoarsely, and I lift my head enough to meet his eyes. My left hand is still holding his head back, and I realize that I have been by the hair at the back of his neck. He stares up at me, looking beautiful and scared and hopeful, and he very deliberately moves his knees apart so that I’m between his legs.

I finally get a grip on exactly what I’m doing and let go of him making both my Possessor and Jake sigh. “I’m sorry.” I tell them both. “I got… carried away.”

“That’s okay.” he says, and when I move to pull away, he wraps his legs around my hips and holds me still. “Ask me something.” he says softly, and reaches up to touch my face. “Ask me anything. The first thing that comes to mind.”

“Why do you want me?” I ask, because that’s what came to mind. I sit back, still in the loop of his legs, and rest my hand son his hips. “What’s so special about me?”

He smiles. “Better to ask what isn’t. I think you’re beautiful. Even when we were younger and gawky, you were amazing. And then when I started to watch you, to see you, it just got better. Now, having you here, it’s almost perfect.”

“Almost?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, you’re clothed.” he points out, and I smile. “And you’re so… tense.” he sighs and runs his hand along my shoulder. “I know you’re worried about his whole thing, about being with a guy-”

“Jake, don’t.” I cut him off, and he stops. “I just want to let things happen, okay? I’m tired of my own head, so can we just not talk about that? I’ll either get over it or I won’t.” he nods his head, and when I move to pull away again he lets me.

“Dominic?” he shifts a little, sitting up more, and asks, “What are they? The Possessors?” he bites his lip and glances at the crystal. “Where do they come from?”

“I don’t know.” and I honestly don’t. “If I knew, I’d tell you.”

He glances at the alarm clock and sighs. “Foxy will be here soon.” he says, and I raise an eyebrow. “He always comes over after school.”

“Should I go?” I ask, standing up. He shrugs his shoulders. “I should go.” I decide.

“Okay.” he stands up too. “Give me your phone.” I do so, and he puts his number into it. “Call me when you want to see me again, okay?” he asks, and I nod. He looks like he’s waiting for something, and after a moment I lean down and kiss him. He smiles against my mouth. “Thank you.”

“For what?” I ask.

“For today.” he shows me out, and I head home quickly. I put my hands in my pockets and keep my head down. I’m about halfway home before my Possessor slides out, around my neck, almost tight enough to stop my breath.

“You bastard!” it snarls at me. “I could’ve had him! He wanted to! You told him no! You son of a bitch!”

“Stop it!” I shout, and it recoils, furious. Then it snaps out again, attempting to worm its way into control, and I stop walking and close my eyes tightly, my hands clenched at my sides. We struggle for a while, and then he gives up abruptly.

“Bastard.” he hisses.

“Yea, well, deal. You said I could have time.”

The rest of the walk home is silent and tense. I’m just starting to think that everything’s going to be fine when I walk through the front door and into the kitchen. There’s a note on the fridge, which explains that I’ll be home alone for the majority of the night.

“Great.” my Possessor whispers softly, sliding along my neck, and when I open my mouth to ask him what he means, the cool, strange taste of him floods my mouth and my vision goes black.

****************************************************************************

Jake

“So, what?” Foxy asks me, digging through the fridge. “You two are going to date?”

“Sort of, I guess.” I say, and sit down at the kitchen table. “He’s apparently having a hard time with the idea of a guy.”

“No shit.” Foxy quips, standing up with a half gallon of chocolate milk in one hand. “He’s straight, after all.”

“I wanted to thank you.” I say, and tips the half gallon in my direction with a little smirk. “You talked to him for me.”

“Yea, well, I still don’t like this whole mating thing.” he sits down across from me. “But if you’re happy…”

“Cute.” I remark, and he glares at me. “No, really, thank you.”

“Sure, man.” he shrugs. “So what do you want to do tonight?” he asks.

I open my mouth, but before I say anything, my cell phone goes off. I fish it out and answer it. “Hello?”

There is a strange, quiet hissing sound, and then Dominic breathes my name. I feel my skin prickle. “Dominic? What’s up?” I glance at Foxy, who rolls his eyes.

“I need to see you.” Dominic says, sounding… strange. “Will you come over?”

I glance at Foxy. “You just saw me. And you know Fox is here.”

“Please?” he says, so softly I barely hear it.

I cover the mouthpiece in the bottom of my cell phone and say to Foxy, “He wants me to go over there.”

He nods. “I can drop you off.”

“You sure?”

“I’ll see if Kaity’s free.” he says.

I uncover the mouthpiece. “Fox will drop me off.” I tell him. “Is everything okay?”

I hear him laugh, a low, rich chuckle that makes me shudder. “Everything will be fine when you get here.” he says, and then hangs up. I flip my phone shut, frowning a little.

“Something wrong?” Foxy asks me as I we head out to his car.

“He sounded strange.” I tell him. “Like… I don’t know, just… different.”

“You can already tell when he sounds different?” Fox asks me, then laughs. “Fucking weird, man.”

We get in the car, and drive mostly in silence. I worry that Fox might be mad at me, but only a little. He’s usually over it quickly, and I know deep down he gets how important this whole thing with Dominic is to me.

He drops me off, giving me a wink as I get out of the car. I watch him drive off before climbing the stairs and knocking on the door. No one answers, so I knock again. When there is still no answer, I try to door knob. The door opens and I hear someone move somewhere in the house.

“Dominic?” I call out, taking a timid step into the house. “You here?”

“Upstairs.” Dominic calls.

I take a deep breath and head up there, feeling very nervous. When I hit the second story landing, I notice the open door at the end of the hall. I try that one first and score…

What I see when I stick my head in the door makes me gasp and take a stumbling step backwards, my hands flying up and clapping over my mouth.