Years of his life

Sometimes he thought he saw real affection in Brennans face, but not as if he was a person, more like he was a pet, an object, ...property.



That's because you are.



Ryo felt shame and anger forming hot and painful in the pit of his stomach. He bowed his head and let his hair fall in his face. Brennan could make him angry just by looking at him, that was just ridiculous. He hated having so little control over himself, especially around his lordship, who could see right through people anyway, who liked to toy with them and always won. He could make Ryo angry and then make him melt in his hands again within minutes; it was a game he played a lot. And Ryo, knowing he was being played with, couldn't help himself. Couldn't become passive and indifferent like Blainn always told him to. Couldn't not care.

And then there was always the possibility that maybe his lord wasn't playing this time; sometimes he wasn't, sometimes he really was in a bad mood, and it was really hard to tell, because he was so practised  in-



"Ryo."



Looking up, he saw his lord standing in the door to to the bedroom, shirtless, barefoot. There was a wolfish smirk on his face, but Ryo had long since learned that all it meant was that his lordship was horny. Things weren't looking like mind games, at least not right now. He stood and followed the young lord into the bedroom, knowing that his anger would soon melt in the heat of their touch- he just had to hide it in the meantime, or risk being needled.



His thoughts were interrupted by Brennan tugging at his shirt. Quickly, he took it off, while the other busied himself with his waistband. They'd gotten skilled at getting clothes off, especially his, and he'd long since lost all shame of being naked around his lord. It just happened too much to still be embarrassed by it.

Brennan was still wearing his pants when he pushed him on the bed and climbed on top of him, and there were little stains of excitement on them. It was a source of smug satisfaction for him, mixed with a little honest-to-the-gods flutter in his stomach, that his cool, often callous lord got to be so... genuine, so honestly and unmistakably aroused by him.

He stretched under Brennan's weight, enjoying it, enjoying the attention as much as the touch, the kisses as much as the grinding. In bed, it was like being with a lover, or at least what Ryo thought that might be like. Well, if lovers told you to shut up and didn't worry too much about you getting off. He didn't think this was how lovers treated each other, but then he'd never had one and people were strange, so who knew. In any case, while Brennan's words were often barbed or manipulative or both, his touch was good. Ryo had, secretly, long since decided that the Prince of Rannhony was at his most honest when he wasn't talking. When they had sex, when it was all hands and lips and skin and wordless noises, there was no deceit. Like now. Like this.

Brennan's need was getting urgent, he could tell. Any moment now he'd shed his pants and fuck him, and then it would be over, too soon, it was nearly always too soon. Too soon for him to finish, but worse, too soon for him to go back to the games and the orders and the anger and people's indifference. Too soon to remember that he was Ryo, slave boy.

He reached out and pulled Brennan in for a kiss, a slow kiss growing slower still, while the other hand wandered over chest and shoulders, more soothing than exploring. For a moment the young noble seemed to go with it, cupping his face with one hand, running fingers through his hair, keep doing that- and then he noticed the glint in the other's eye, noticed he was being watched, felt his hand caught and pinned to the mattress.

"What are you doing?"

There was no malice in the question, just bemused curiosity. No mind games, yet, but this was dangerous territory.



Go ahead and start one, you idiot.



It was a direct question, and Ryo couldn't pretend he wasn't supposed to answer.

"I'm sorry. I... I don't know."

There it was, the glint in the eye, the humorless smirk. The mask.

"Fine. Let me rephrase: what are you trying to do?"

There was no escape from that one. He felt his face growing hot, and the way Brennan narrowed his eyes, he'd noticed it, too.



So you take the one thing that's good and make it awkward. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.



No way around it. The fewer excuses he offered for Brennan to pick apart, the sooner it would be over. He closed his eyes and tried to pretend to be alone, to say it to an empty room. It didn't work very well, but he got it out.

"I didn't... I wanted it to last. I'm sorry."

There was silence, scary silence. Silence that finally made him open his eyes. Brennan was still over him, looking at him, his head cocked as if trying to solve a riddle, but his expression had changed. His smirk was amused now, the mask gone. Oh, please let it have passed.

"You want this to last?" For a moment there was light brown hair in his face, then he was alone on the bed. He propped himself up on his elbows just in time to see Brennan step out of his crinkled pants. So much for that. Ah, well.

Coming back to bed, Brennan slid between his legs, his dick brushing against Ryo's own. Despite his embarrassment, Ryo was still turned on, and he responded eagerly to the light touch.

"You might be right, puppy." 'Puppy' was good. 'Puppy' meant he was only teasing, and he'd brought that on himself when he'd gotten his lordship talking. He could handle 'puppy'. He waited.

Brennan, inches from his face, was grinning. "If I understood you right, that is. Explain it again, will you?"



No harm in saying it. He's cheerful. You want it, just say it, say it, all will be well. It's hardly a secret that you like it. Get a grip.



He whispered, not trusting his voice. "I didn't want it to be over. Wanted to draw it out."

"You did? Why is that?"

And why not. "Because I like it."

For the tiniest moment, he saw surprise in the other face and had to close his eyes to hide his glee. He'd cut him off. He'd robbed him of all his other teasing questions. He'd-

"You do, do you?"

No you won't. Not this time. "I do. I apologize, your highness- I thought you knew, or I would have told you earlier."

An eyebrow went up briefly, but then Brennan laughed. "You smug little shit." He leaned in until Ryo could feel his breath on his lips. "I suppose I may have suspected it occasionally, yes."

There were lips on his own and hands in his hair, and hips grinding ever so slowly against him. He wrapped an arm around Brennan's neck and pulled him closer.



"You made some very good points, puppy, and we shall pursue them. You will have to make equally good points to end the pursuit, I'm afraid."



Beg for it. Sure. What difference does that make now, anyway?



...if he wants you to beg for it, he'll need to make it that good, you know.



And it was looking like he would.