Cassius turned around with a snarl pulling at his mouth. He glared at Mica with a threat that promised he would rip out the man's throat if given the opportunity—or in this case, if he was pushed over the edge one more time.
Mica covered his grin with his hand, holding back a laugh that was making his face turn red with how hard he was trying not to burst out laughing at Cassius's expense. He coughed and crossed his arms as he once more tried to push down his laugh.
"You look fine. Honestly."
Cassius let out a growl, his back arching like he was a hissing cat. He felt like one. He wished he had claws so he could scratch Mica's nice suit up so he matched what little fabric scraps Cassius was wearing.
"When you said 'slave clothes' I didn't know that meant forced to go naked." He looked down again at what he'd been forced to put on. He hoped that when he looked down he would find that he'd imagined the skimpy shorts that hugged his thighs. That was all he was wearing.
Mica straightened up. "There will be other slaves more naked than you are. No one will even notice you."
That didn't make Cassius feel better. In fact, that made him feel worse.
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" He turned around to face the mirror that was the bane of his existence at the moment.
There were not many opportunities for him to gaze upon his own reflection. He didn't care to even if he happened to cross paths with a mirror in the first place. He couldn't not look this time. His face was different from the last time he'd seen it. He was older. No longer a teen, very much a man. The years since boyhood hadn't been good and the stress of the last few months couldn't have been good for the lines on his face.
His dark skin wasn't a surprise. He saw it many times on his legs and arms. His dark curly hair probably looked better than most days since he had a decent shower and hadn't been in the training yard this morning. His round face didn't help his large nose that dominated his features. Paired with his chubby cheeks, he didn't look threatening at all. The scar half hidden by his thick brows softened the blow.
He glared at his scantily clad body and wondered what other humiliating shit he was going to have to endure tonight.
He didn't care if Mica wasn't really using him as a bed slave. Everyone else was going to think it was true anyway. On top of that, Mica would have to act like he was using Cassius for his more carnal needs.
Cassius gritted his teeth. His fists clenched.
Mica moved behind him. He went still as he watched Mica stand right next to him. "I promise I'll get this reversed."
Cassius met his eyes in the mirror. "How can you promise that? You're not in control. You can pretend you are as much as you want, but your father is the one who decides what happens to you."
A dark look fell over Mica's face.
He didn't say anything. Instead, he slowly placed his hand on the back of Cassius's neck. It rested there for a moment. His fingers carded through the hair upon Cassius's neck.
He yanked the hairs and Cassius's head back with a sharp jerk.
Cassius let out a gasp. His eyes widened but his gaze didn't falter.
Mica pressed his cheek to Cassius's.
"This is what they'll expect. My hands—" His left hand settled on Cassius's bare stomach. Cassius's muscles tensed under the sudden touch. "—my touch. All over you. Can you handle that?"
Cassius's breath hitched. His tongue rolled up in his mouth as he was about to speak. The words escaped him and he didn't know what he was talking about before Mica started touching him.
He forgot how to breathe. He didn't know how much time had passed before he was able to break from the spell he'd been pulled under. He was rolling in the waves, being pulled back down in the current as he fought to make even just one thought happen. He broke his gaze from Mica's and stepped away.
"I can handle it." Even he could hear the shaking in his voice. He cleared his throat to hide it, but Mica was already smirking.
It was an evil smirk—not like the ones he used to wear when he was playing General Rexton but close enough to give Cassius the shivers.
"I know you can handle it. What I'm asking is if you can play along." Mica grabbed Cassius's arm and forced him back against his chest.
"What are you—" Cassius struggled to get out of Mica's grip. Mica wrestled with him, turning Cassius around and forcing him to bend.
Cassius landed face-first into the bed with his arm wrenched behind his back. His hand grabbed onto the bedding. He went still as Mica's warm body blanketed his own. Mica's lips grazed Cassius's ear.
"They will expect me to have broken you in just a little. You'll still have your fight, but the fire in your eyes will have extinguished somewhat." Another shiver went down Cassius's spine. This one didn't just stop there. It traveled back up his calves and to his fingertips. It was like with each syllable Mica was touching a part of his brain.
The sheets smelled of floral soap. Cassius took a deep inhale through his nose. His hands clenched as he fought back from slugging Mica in the face. He knew Mica didn't mean anything by bending him over the bed, but it still felt real. It still felt like he was being disrespected and he needed to fight for his honor.
The silliness of his anger didn't make it go away either. He had to force it down, swallowing it like a bag of nails. When he did so, he decided to get into the headspace of the character Mica was creating before him.
He was right. The people at this banquet will have thought Mica took Cassius to bed and "broken" him in. It wouldn't just be one time either. He would have to act like Mica had been forcing himself on Cassius multiple times, perhaps even multiple times a day.
The thought made him sick to his stomach, but it was a reality he would have to place himself in.
Mica wasn't the one behind him. It was General Rexton.
And he wasn't himself. He was a Mekiah bed slave that was still fighting the inevitable that had been happening to him for the last couple of days.
He closed his eyes.
Mica stirred behind him. He placed his hand on Cassius's face, touching him gently but with authority—remind Cassius that his body wasn't his own.
Cassius's eyes flew open. He glared at Rexton and barred his teeth.
Rexton had just withdrawn his hand as Cassius snapped at the fingers that had been dangerously close to his mouth.
Rexton tilted his head. The smirk dropped from his face. There was a curious gleam in his eyes. It was the type of look a cat gave its prey as it played with it.
"Where would I start? Hm?" His hand trailed down the slope of Cassius's back. His fingertips left hot trails that burned like ice along Cassius's spine.
The blistering touch continued until it lingered on Cassius's lower back. "Here?"
He pressed in hard. Cassius arched his back, trying to get away from the touch. But where his body moved away, another part of him was closer and more susceptible.
Rexton took the opening, striking like a snake who'd been waiting patiently and flipped Cassius's over onto his back.
Cassius was so taken off guard that he didn't have the chance to blink before Rexton's hand was on his throat. His legs were forced open and Rexton slotted himself between his parted thighs. Cassius tried to close them but was too late. His thighs squeezed around Rexton's hips, only drawing his closer, the opposite of what he wanted.
His chest heaved. Cassius's hand that had been trapped behind his back was now trapped above his head. Rexton's fingers were tightly locked around the wrist, imprinting his mark like it was a threat. He loomed above Cassius barely looking like he was out of energy while Cassius felt like all the air had been stolen from his lungs. Each ragged breath he took it was like Rexton was sucking it right back out.
The piercing gaze on him made it only more difficult to concentrate on anything else except Rexton's all-consuming touch. Cassius was trapped in the man's web, forced to bend to his laws and there really was nothing he could do.
Rexton grabbed Cassius's left leg and hiked it up. Cassius let out a gasp as his tendons were stretched. It wasn't just that. It was the intimate position this put them in. His chest and face flushed. This was a lot worse than being bent over the side of the bed. Seeing Rexton's face while imagining what this compromising position meant was even more humiliating.
Rexton tapped his forefinger on Cassius's neck. "This is where I would start. Definitely."
He swooped in without a warning. His mouth descended on Cassius's defenseless flesh. Cassius growled as Rexton's teeth sunk into his skin beside his Adam's apple. He thrashed his head to dislodge the man, but Rexton only dug his teeth in harder.
The pain bloomed like a hot-poker. Cassius grunted when Rexton finally detached himself. His tongue trailed across the blemished skin. It wasn't soothing at all. More fire erupted like there was acid in Rexton's saliva.
He sucked on Cassius's Adam's apple. A sound that Cassius didn't recognize was pulled from him. His eyes widened at the almost whine-like sound. He turned his head, giving Rexton more access to his throat but hiding his face just a little.
He fought between hiding his face or hiding his neck. Either way, he lost the battle.
Rexton marked him with rough nips and sucks down his throat and over his chest. His free hand came up to the back of Rexton's head. Cassius grabbed his hair and was about to pull his head back.
But he was stopped short when Rexton's mouth covered his nipple.
He let out a sharp exhale. "W-Wait—"
His tongue rolled into the back of his mouth. His head dropped back as Rexton's teeth grazed the hardening nub.
This was more than he expected. It was more than just a little play through of what was expected of them later tonight. This felt like they were cusping on the edge of something that couldn't be taken back.
Cassius's hand trembled on the back of Rexton's head. He didn't have the strength to pull him off. Instead, his hand laid there, almost guiding Rexton to the spots that made his toes curl the most.
Rexton's eyes flickered upward. He was looking at Cassius as he fell apart in his hands. Cassius looked away, squeezing his eyes closed as more shivered overcame him. Rexton moved to his other nipple, nipping the other hard enough to make Cassius jerk before he moved on.
This time he sucked on the nipple like he was savoring it. The suction caused goosebumps to rise around it.
"Mica…" Cassius's voice was rough. He cleared his throat to try again, but Mica's name got stuck when Rexton let go of the nub with a wet pop.
Rexton's face was just as flushed as Cassius's felt. However, the expression upon his face was cool. He seemed unaffected. Except Cassius knew that wasn't the case. He could feel Rexton's arousal on his thigh as clear as day.
While Cassius could read his face, he could see in Rexton's eyes there was something he was trying to hide. The soft look made Cassius confused about his own feelings. He was only glad he could hardly think so he didn't have to access his own feelings at that moment.
Rexton's face moved closer to his own. He held his breath as he waited for what was to come. He didn't know what was happening. As Rexton's mouth closer to his own, he thought Rexton might kiss him.
But at the last second Rexton turned away and let his head drop onto the bed beside Cassius's.
"I'm sorry. That was…"
Cassius could tell this wasn't General Rexton. This was Mica. It was strange to see the two as being different people, but their personalities were vastly different where it counted.
The little quakes in Cassius's body were hard to ignore. He felt strangely uncomfortable when before he'd been almost okay with being touched.
Mica was still hard. Cassius made the mistake of lifting his leg, grazing the hardness. Mica's breath hitched as the movement stimulated him. The little moan he let out right next to Cassius's ear made his own dormant dick twitch.
There was something buzzing at the back of Cassius's head. It was a foreign feeling that he knew wasn't coming from his body directly. It felt akin to the Third Eye when he was inside of it. He felt it now and somehow he knew it was because he was near Mica.
He almost protested when Mica backed away from him, removing the touch that he was becoming fond of. He wanted to touch Mica more. He wanted so much more that he didn't know how to describe. If he got what he wanted, he didn't think it would stop with Mica's body.
He wanted his mind and soul too.
The craving for such a thing was so strong and so out of character that he was taken aback by it. He once again didn't know how to feel about these wants or how to even confront them. All he could do was blankly stare at Mica and wonder what would be the right thing to do after such a thing had happened.
Mica stood up with jerky movements. "I was out of line for that."
Cassius laid on the bed on his back. He gazed up at the ceiling for a couple seconds, thinking over what had happened in his head. He knew on some level he should be angry at Mica. He should be revolted and pissed about being pushed around like he was a thing.
If he dug deep that of course was there. When wasn't he angry at something? A part of his personality was being mad at the injustice in the world and most importantly, the unlucky life he'd been dealt.
However, there was no immediate thought to attack or yell at Mica. He did take a deep breath to still the rest of his nerves that were alive like a live-wire. There was an electric pulse going through him like a current that he couldn't completely turn off.
He slowly sat up. "That's how it will be."
He didn't feel like shrugging but that's what he would have done.
Mica's stoic expression finally cracked. His brows furrowed in such confusion that Cassius didn't often see. "That doesn't make it right."
Cassius chuckled. "You know, you're the first person to ever give a shit about what is right?"
When his eyes met Mica's, he had to remind himself that the "role-play" they'd done wasn't in fact real. There was no master/slave dynamic between them. There wasn't even attraction between them in the first place.
"That's not true." The way Mica said it was as if he was trying to convince himself of the obvious lie.
"It has been for a long time."
The past didn't matter to him. He understood that history meant something in the behavior and the choices the Remu had taken, but it didn't make what they were doing or what the Exteru were doing right. An "eye or an eye" didn't mean anything when it didn't end there. Retribution had an end. Justice had an end.
The Exteru's "justice" had only cycled back into evil.
Mica shifted uncomfortably. He grimaced as he started to turn.
Cassius didn't think before he was grabbing Mica's hand. Mica's brows raised so high they almost disappeared into his hairline. Cassius couldn't even find amusement in the shocked expression when his heart was pounding so hard in his chest.
He licked his lips. His thoughts were a blur, but there was one that stood out among the rest. It was a decision that could change everything. It was insane to think, yet here he was, actually thinking about doing it.
Slowly, so slow that it made his anxiety worse, he reached with his free hand toward Mica's crotch.
His hand cupped the erection beneath Mica's pants. There was a question in the air that he was asking Mica. As Mica's eyelids lowered until his eyes were barely open, Cassius knew what kind of answer he was going to get.
Before reason could speak, Cassius guided Mica to sit on the bed. There was no resistance. Mica was pliant, giving control over to Cassius like it meant nothing. Or maybe it did mean something that Cassius didn't quite understand. Everything about Mica had always seemed to be coated in a layer of masculinity and domination. He didn't seem at all like the person to hand over control easily.
Like Cassius, they were both strong-willed and very much stubborn. Cassius always thought both of them would break before bending to each other.
No matter how muddled Cassius's mind was, he couldn't bring himself to kneel. Instead, he awkwardly sat beside Mica and unbuttoned his pants. It was surprisingly easy to get the slacks open. There was some awkward fumbling—Mica reaching to pull himself out of his underwear at the same time Cassius went to do it—but eventually Mica's erection was naked to the air, standing tall and proud.
Cassius had seen his fair share of cocks in his life. Some of them had even been hard, but never had he wanted to see them. It was also the first time he'd ever even thought about bringing someone pleasure. He barely got himself off. Tiny pleasure here and there didn't do much when his whole life was shit.
So he thought it wasn't too weird that he was openly staring at Mica's dick. Strange, yes, but he was trying to savior the moment without seeming like a klutz.
His face blushed when the hard appendage twitched. A bead of precum dribbled from the slit.
Mica wasn't overly large. He was a decent size and thick to boot. Cassius's hand still seemed small against it. His dark skin against the rosy pink flesh stuck out. He gave a curious squeeze which had Mica bucking his hips.
"Not too hard," Mica hissed. Though he was complaining, he seemed to be getting harder.
"Your dick likes it," Cassius mused. On the surface, it might have seemed like he was in control. The opposite couldn't be closer to the truth.
He didn't know what the hell he was doing. He felt inadequate thinking about how Mica had probably done this with dozens of other people. He probably took someone to bed every other night when he didn't have Cassius hogging his room.
It didn't go past him that Mica might be light years ahead of him in sexual experiences. He flipped from wanting to prove himself good enough and from thinking Mica would never be satisfied with him.
He pushed those thoughts down. He started moving his hand with a lighter grasp. His strokes were slow and uncoordinated. His face grew hotter from embarrassment and also from how much this was making his aroused. At first, he decided to not look Mica in the face. He didn't want to see the blank stare on the man's face, proving just how unaffected Cassius's touch was to him.
However, he couldn't stop himself from glancing up when the first of faint sounds fell from Mica's lips.
Mica had dropped his head back. His lips were parted just a little. The breathy whimpers that he made were unexpected. Cassius never imagined what Mica might sound like when he was being pleasured, but his imagination would have never stood a chance compared to the real thing.
He stared at Mica, taking in his blushed cheeks, his wet lips, and his quaking chest. His hand got quicker, jerking Mica off in a rapid pace.
Mica's hips bucked and then turned away. "Ah!"
He grabbed Cassius's wrist, eyes opening and his head shaking a little.
"Too dry…" He mumbled. His eyes were lowered as he pulled Cassius's hand away from his cock and toward his mouth. He seemed half-awake as he licked a wet stripe from Cassius's palm to the tip of his fingers.
Cassius's mouth went dry as he watched Mica's pink tongue drag over his skin. He had a strong urge to taste what Mica tasted and to also taste Mica's tongue.
Mica lowered Cassius's hand back down to his dick. He sighed. "Much better."
His hand didn't leave Cassius's. He guided Cassius as to how to stroke him. He liked it tight but not too tight given by the somewhat firm pressure he put on Cassius's hand. The slow strokes were heavy in detail—a twist at the head, a squeeze at the base, and a rapid downstroke that had Mica's thighs twitching.
His breaths became more rapid, quick little intakes that made Cassius want to kiss him all the more. He had to physically hold himself back as he watched Mica fall apart in front of him, only allowed to touch his dick and nothing else. He couldn't give himself the permission. He knew that if he got a taste, he'd want to take things further and he didn't know where that would lead them.
He had to be satisfied with what he could have. And watching Mica cum from his hand—back arching, hips thrusting, whining in the back of his throat, begging—was very much satisfying.