Warnings: Implied sexual assault.
~*~
As Ulrich's arms closed around him, Mirage struggled to control his breathing. Still, it had been years since anyone had held him like this – let alone his former master.
Ulrich's grip was strong as he remembered, hands digging painfully into his back. With his face buried in Ulrich's shirt, Mirage had no choice but to breathe in the man's musky cologne. And this close, he could feel Ulrich's heartbeat throbbing through the bones of his skull.
Which actually helped him relax a little. The fool was easy to read as ever. His heart had slammed like this the last time he'd held Mirage, just as excited. At the time, he'd had no reason to think otherwise.
After all, Spider Lily had spent the past few months seducing his way into Ulrich's heart, feeding him sweet lies about how he lived for none but the young master. If only it weren't for the current master, the one who held Spider Lily's contract, the two of them could be together forever….
Ulrich had obliged. That day, he broke into the bedroom while Spider Lily was entertaining his father. One shot to the back of his head ended the old man for good. And for the first time in years, Spider Lily was no longer bound to a wizard.
Ulrich had crushed him into a hug just like this, kissing him eagerly and clumsily, showering him with extravagant promises. Spider Lily had let him – all while reaching for his own Levia, stirring to life the powers he had only discovered within the past few months.
All these years, Spider Lily had believed himself utterly worthless. A demon with no powers, only good for entertaining others with his body. His father had told him as much before selling him into slavery.
But it wasn't true. Perhaps Spider Lily couldn't create fireballs or command monsters, but he possessed something just as potent. If not more. With his illusions, he would secure his freedom.
So while Ulrich held him – and before he could form a new contract – Spider Lily had cast an illusion upon him, making him believe his embrace was being returned. While in reality, Spider Lily's hand crept toward the pin in his hair, crafted from scarlet glass in the shape of one of his eponymous flowers.
The satisfying thud, then squelch, as the end of the pin sank into Ulrich's eye. Ulrich's cry of pain and shock, his hands slipping away from Spider Lily. Releasing him.
Spider Lily stood, looking down on Ulrich Ziegler for the first time. Calmly and sweetly, he spoke his last ever words to the wizard.
"Please die, young master."
Well, it seemed Ulrich hadn't, and Mirage had returned despite promising himself he never would. But it was for the purpose of obtaining something even greater than freedom.
So when Ulrich grabbed his chin and tilted his face up, Mirage returned his kiss without hesitation. He let Ulrich's tongue plunge into his mouth, squirming about as if trying to claim every inch, and locked his disgust deep, deep inside.
It was nothing like Victor's kisses, long and lingering yet without a trace of brutality. But Mirage wouldn't have to endure it for much longer.
As Ulrich kissed him over and over, leaving his lips bitten and stinging, Mirage gathered his Levia. The power swirled through his body like a stream of rose petals, growing ever denser.
"Oh, Spider Lily, Spider Lily," Ulrich gasped. "You're here, you're finally here. I knew – I always knew – I knew you'd come back, I knew it."
Mirage let him babble, didn't even flinch when Ulrich started planting messy kisses all over his hair. The longer the fool took, the more time Mirage had.
The rose petals drifted across their bodies, insinuating their way into Ulrich's mind. Piece by piece, they altered his perceptions, making him believe Mirage was still in his arms, still returning his kisses and whispering how much he loved him. All the while, the real Mirage would be creeping toward the scepter leaning against the chair.
Once he had the scepter in hand, all he needed to do was knock out the bamboozled Ulrich with a well-aimed blow to the head. The fool wouldn't even know what hit him. If Mirage was lucky, he might smash Ulrich's skull and get rid of him for good.
A laugh bubbled in his throat, but Mirage fiercely clamped down upon it. Later, he could celebrate all he wanted. For now, he had to focus on casting the illusion. It was far more intricate than the one he'd used to escape Ulrich in the first place – for one thing, it would require him to actually leave Ulrich's arms. But Mirage now had five years' worth of experience with his powers. This would be no trouble at all.
Well, it might be even less trouble if he still had his contract with Victor...but whatever, he didn't need that brother-lover's Levia. His own effort was more than enough.
"Spider Lily, Spider Lily, oh, Spider Lily," Ulrich murmured into his ear. "Don't leave me again. Stay with me forever."
"Don't worry, Master," Mirage whispered back. "I'm always yours."
With that, he put the finishing touches on the illusion. Now all he had to do was release it in one final burst of power –
But as the rose petals rushed toward Ulrich, another Levia sliced through them like a sword. A Levia as sharp as steel.
The force of the Levia knocked Mirage out of Ulrich's grip. He spilled onto the carpet, hitting it hard enough to drive the breath from his lungs. Steel-gray light blazed beneath him; as Mirage stared in horror, it spread into the shape of a diagram filled with spiked designs and blade-like motifs.
But he didn't get to look at it for long before gray light swallowed his vision. Pain flared across his body, stabbing like hundreds of knives. He writhed, helpless and furious. Beneath this agony he couldn't summon even an ounce of Levia – no, his power was slipping away, retreating from his grasp.
When the gray light finally cleared, Mirage lay on his back wheezing for breath. And to his horror, chains formed from the same steely Levia wrapped around his arms and legs, pinning him in place.
Ulrich loomed above him. A few strands of hair had come loose from his severe style, while a shaky grin twisted his face. "Yes. Now you truly are mine."
"What – what is this?" Mirage yelled, tugging futilely against the chains. "What did you do?"
"Oh, Spider Lily…." Ulrich raked a hand through his hair. "Now that you've finally returned, this time...this time I can't afford to let you slip away."
Step by step, he approached Mirage. Mirage thrashed and snarled, but couldn't budge the chains an inch – it was as if they were truly made of steel. Worst of all, he couldn't feel a trace of his own Levia beneath them.
So there was nothing he could do as Ulrich crouched above him, straddling him with his knees. His face loomed in front of Mirage's, forcing Mirage to stare into that gray eye shining with crazed fervor.
"No," he gasped, hating how weak his voice came out. "Get away from me."
Of course, Ulrich didn't listen. His hand descended, and Mirage couldn't even flinch as it settled on his cheek, heavy and possessive.
"Do you like this spell?" he said, almost conversational. "I worked very hard on it. As long as it's active, you will be unable to access your Levia. There'll be no fooling me with your tricks this time, I'm afraid."
The hand stroked a skin-crawling arc down Mirage's cheekbone. "This should give me more than enough time to create the contract. To finally bind us together as we were meant to be."
Mirage had suffered through enough situations like this to know it was already too late. But he couldn't give up – he refused.
"Let me go, you bastard!" he screamed. "I hate you, I fucking hate you! I always did! I should have just killed you back then!"
Ulrich's face remained stony. The hand slipped away from Mirage's face – but Mirage didn't have time to feel relieved before it settled atop his head, stroking the sensitive area at the base of his horn. Before he could stop himself, he gasped.
The gasp cut off when Ulrich's other hand pressed down on his throat. Dark spots danced in Mirage's vision.
"It doesn't matter, Spider Lily," Ulrich said, low and husky. "Even if you hate me, I still love you. And I'll show you just how much I do."
His Levia flared again, and icy horror flooded Mirage's veins when a new diagram spread beneath him. Though he couldn't get a good look at it, Mirage knew exactly what it must be.
He thrashed harder, twisting his head around. It was no use; he and Ulrich were alone in here. Rain must have already left. Even if she hadn't, what did it matter? She wouldn't help him.
No one would. It had been like that all of Mirage's life. Whether it was his father, Ulrich, the Infernal Lord, his own troops – none of them had ever given a damn about him. None of them except –
'Victor!' The name burst from his mind without thinking. 'Victor, come! Save me!'
No reply. Only his madly racing heartbeat and Ulrich's Levia burning beneath him. Of course not. He'd been a fool to ever think otherwise.
The steely power crept into his body, and Ulrich's grip tightened around his throat, and there was nothing Mirage could do to stop it. There never had been.