Date nights were the best. I loved taking Dion out to all these restaurants just because. We'd get dressed up in our nicest shirts and blazers and go to these really fancy places. We'd get served nice wine and food that we kind of couldn't afford.

"I'll pay tonight," Dion said and wiped his mouth, winking at me.

"You sure? I don't mind."

"Let me be all gentlemanly and treat my cute boyfriend." He patted my hand and waved at the waiter. He looked through his pockets and found his wallet. "Hi, I'd like to pay," he said and smiled at the waiter.

The waiter smiled back and took Dion's card from him, looking down at it. "I can't take this card, unfortunately. We only take single-name cards." The waiter clenched his jaw. He had horns like a satyr but blue skin like a nymph.

"You only take payments from full-bloods, huh?"

"I'm really sorry." The waiter glanced up towards the bar. "Please, I don't wanna lose my job."

"You're not losing your job," I said and handed him mine.

He took a sigh of relief and slid the card through the machine. I tipped him fifteen-hundred drachma too. The poor guy didn't make the rules and it was obvious he didn't support them either. It was amazing he even got to keep his job.

"Maybe I should just start carrying cash," Dion said as we left the restaurant.

"They'll just find another reason why your money isn't good enough, I bet." I clicked the button on the car keys and the car announced it was unlocked. Dion jumped in and I followed.

"I've never felt like this before, Arlo. Like, I've been depersonalised so many times, but not like this."

I took his hand in mine. "I heard of this meeting. At the club. Half-bloods are going to try and demonstrate against this. Maybe that can do something?"

"They wanna turn this political?"

"It already is. Your mere existence is political. Our relationship is political."

He sighed deeply and slid further down into his seat. "All I want is to get out of Euphoria and move to a small island with you. Is that too much to ask?"

I couldn't help but smile. "Is that all you want?"

He smiled back and nodded. "Yeah."

"We could do that. In the future. When your contract is up. We could move to an island."

"Really?" He perked up.

"I'd love that." I leaned in and kissed my beautiful boyfriend.

We got home and I was pretty tired. Dion didn't seem tired at all as he did his whole horn-care routine. He just kept glancing up at me and then looking away when I caught him peeking.

"What is it?" I finally asked when I was done.

"I've uh... I've got a present for you."

"A present? For me? Why?"

"Just come on," he said and grabbed my arm, dragging me to the bedroom. He got me parked on the bed and then went to his side of the wardrobe, picking out a plastic bag. He turned back towards me and smiled a little nervously. His hand went into the bag and withdrew some pretty rough-looking rope.

I swallowed hard and met his gaze. "Rope?"

"Yeah," he breathed and came toward me, the rope snaking up and out of the bag after him. "Turn around."

I turned for him, sitting with my legs crossed, anticipation almost killing me. His fingers circled around my wrists, bringing my arms behind my back, one top of the other.

"Remember your safe-word?" he murmured in my ear.

"Yes," I panted.

The rope dug into my skin but not in a bad way. In a way that excited me. Dion bound my hands so tightly I was sure I couldn't just break them. The rope was thick too. Not just something that could be ripped like the silk ties.

He wound the ropes up my arms too and across my chest, softly kissing my skin in the process. "I asked Strawberry to help me. She has done this many times, apparently," he murmured and bit down on my earlobe. I tried to not growl at him, but I couldn't stop myself.

"Arlo," he more or less purred and moved to stand on his knees behind me. He gently guided my head down on the pillow but got me to press my knees into the mattress still. "Remember your safe-word. I'll untie you the second you say it."

"Yeah," I whispered and tried out the ropes. They weren't budging at all, just creaking a little.

Dion pulled my boxers down and gently pressed his fingers inside of me. I buried my face in the pillow just to muffle myself. I couldn't control anything, and I was losing my mind. Dion was breathing hard and it seemed like he had a hard time controlling himself too.

"Ready?" he asked with a gruff voice.

"Yes," I groaned back.

He very slowly and gently pushed against me. I had to bite down on the pillow this time. Dion bent in over me, burying his fingers in my hair, pressing my head down into the pillow. I tried out the ropes again, but they weren't budging.

He was moving his hips too slowly and too softly. It was too gentle. "Harder," I murmured and looked back over my shoulder at him.

He looked up from where we were connected and smirked at me. "Did you say 'slower'?" He slowed down even more.

"No, harder," I whined.

Dion chuckled and went even slower. He did this to punish me. To torture me. And I couldn't deny loving it. Just the feel of his body against mine was everything I needed right in that moment. My head stilled completely as my thoughts narrowed down on my arms not moving and Dion's movements. I was just pleasure. I was love. There was nothing but this.

That was only until he jerked his hips hard, slamming into me. I whimpered loudly, my whimper turning into a moan so fast. I had never been as loud as I was now. I couldn't stop. And Dion responded to every sound too, slamming hard into me. His voice was deep, and it made my stomach roll to look back at him, sweat covering his body. His hair was sticking to his forehead and he was alternating between looking down and clenching his eyes closed. He paid me almost no mind at all. He was just losing himself.

It came to an explosive end for me. More explosive than I had ever tried before. It left me limp and boneless. Empty and tired.

Dion's fingers tightened in my hair as he almost growled at me. He slammed his hips at me in the same rhythm as the pulses travelling through his body.

"Gods," he cursed and let go of my hair. "Fuck me," he muttered and pulled out. He took care of himself first before he very gently got me up on my knees again. He loosened my binds and slid the ropes off me, kissing my skin.

"Stay there," he murmured and kissed my cheek. He left the bedroom but was fast to return. He had two washcloths in his hand, and he cleaned me up with the warm one before getting me down on my back. He straddled my thighs and then washed my wrists with a cold one.

"I did it too tight," he muttered with a frown.

My skin was bruised and raw, but I didn't mind. It had been perfect, and I hadn't felt any pain. Not one I didn't want.

"No." I slid my hand free of his and cupped his cheek, getting him to bend over. I wanted to kiss him. "It was perfect."

He smiled against my lips and then snorted. He pulled back and chuckled before he full on laughed out loud. "Holy fucking gods, Arlo." He slapped his forehead with the washcloth and dumped down next to me, grabbing my arm and running the cool cloth over my skin.

"You don't have to do that, you know," I murmured, my eyes closed.

"After care is important," Dion said, his lips landing on the inside of my arm. "I can't mess you up and then not clean up the mess after. And I'm enjoying myself."

I chuckled and fought to open my eyes. "I love you."

"And I love you." He smiled and scooted up, kissing me on the mouth this time.

He continued to cool my arms down and then rubbed some kind of lotion onto my skin. He said it'd help with the friction burns. I just assumed he knew exactly what he was doing.

"It feels nice," I murmured.

"Yeah?" He looked up from my arms. He was sitting in my lap, my back against the headrest. His fingers massaged my skin gently and he kept leaning forward to kiss me.

"You liked it, right?" I asked hesitantly.

"I know you're joking. Right?" he chuckled and looked up from my arms.

"No..."

"Arlo, I got to tie up my seven-foot boyfriend and fuck him so hard I don't think I'm done orgasming yet."

My eyes widened a little. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, love." He leaned forward and kissed me. Deeply. He really let me feel the softness of his mouth to the fullest. "You're so hot."

And I giggled like a little girl. I knew I wasn't like... Conventionally attractive. But to Dion I was hot. It felt like he was proud of walking on the street with me, his hand in mine. I was proud of him. All the time. I could wake up next to him and be proud to just be fortunate enough to be allowed to sleep next to him. He was willing to share my bed. Share his life with me.

I was so fortunate.