Chapter Five

"You did what?"

I set my fork down and looked up where Keros was staring at me, his mouth opening and closing, clearly at a loss for words. Seven was covering his full mouth, trying not to spit his food out on a laugh.

"I tried to interrogate him. It didn't go well," I repeated, in less words now.

"I'm surprised you're still alive," Seven said after he swallowed his food, "I can't believe he actually let you try to interrogate him, or even like, get on top of him. He may be on the quiet side, but he definitely isn't submissive." I glanced at him. Definitely wasn't submissive? That's not what he displayed in my room last night. In fact, Six displayed clear signs of being a submissive.

I didn't know too much about BDSM, just the basics I'd learned from my uncle Hannibal and auntie Akin. Perhaps it was time I had a talk with them about this instead. Of course, I wouldn't be using names or telling them that I was flirting with the enemy.

At the same time, there was a part of me that wanted to explore this. I wanted to see how far I could take Six, how far he'd let me go. He certainly didn't mind how far we went last night. Perhaps I could push the limits a bit further.

"I think I'm going to go visit Akin," I said at last. Seven looked up curiously.

"Why Akin?" He asked.

"Yeah, what's he got to do with anything?" Keros asked dryly. I cocked my head.

"I just had some questions to ask," I said, getting to my feet, "It'll be a quick visit. I have practice tonight." Seven and Keros shared curious stares, then nodded and thankfully didn't invite themselves to go with me, so I teleported from the restaurant in Atlantis to Akin's mansion on the hill.

I didn't bother knocking. Akin had told us it was silly to knock and to just walk in the house. I walked in and shut the door behind me, pausing to scan the house and listen to the silence, save for the soft sizzling of food in a pan. I followed the sound into the kitchen, only to pull up short to see Akin pinning Hannibal to the fridge, their mouths locked in a hot passionate kiss that left Hannibal melting against the fridge.

I cocked my head and cleared my throat.

Akin immediately backed up, and Hannibal arched his shoulders up a little bit as if to hide his face as he turned his back to me to go to the stove.

"Hi, sweetie," Akin greeted warmly, as if I hadn't just interrupted their moment, "Sorry, I didn't know anyone was gonna drop by today."

"My apologies for interrupting," I said, pausing to look at Hannibal, who seemed to pretend on focusing on the food in the pan, but there was a light pink tinge to his cheeks that was somehow adorable, "Ah, I was hoping to talk to you about something." Akin looked mildly surprised, then nodded and gestured to the dining table for us to take a seat. I followed him over and sat down.

"So, what's going on? Everything alright?" Akin asked. I nodded.

"Mostly. I just... I have some questions about sex," I stated. Akin's eyes widened for a moment and he glanced over where Hannibal had dropped something on the floor, then back over to me.

"Uh, okay, sure, what's up?" He asked. I frowned.

"There's someone that I... find myself interested in," I said slowly, watching Akin's eyes get wider, if that was even possible, "But I am unsure how to approach the situation. He's... submissive, I believe. He's not come out and said it. I feel he's unsure himself." Akin nodded in understanding.

"Some people don't really realize it until they experiment."

"So, perhaps he doesn't know, because he's not experimented before."

"Perhaps."

"I want to know what ways I can pin him down and, well, get to know him," I explained, choosing my words carefully, "I mean, physically get him in a position where I can talk to him more. I think that would make the situation easier for both of us." Akin nodded slowly.

"Okay, I get what you mean... Did you guys just meet or...?"

"Sort of. I know very little about him. I'd like to know more, but he's a bit shy."

"Ah, and you figure combining will make him talk more."

"Yes."

"Okay, I get it," Akin said with a nod, "Well, you want to use something that won't prevent him from talking, so avoid any kind of gags or really uncomfortable positions. My recommendation would be to probably tie him up."

"That's what I was thinking."

"Yeah, a lot of submissives really enjoy restraints. There's something comforting about being cradled by ropes, but please make sure you get specific types of ropes. Don't just use any old rope, it can cause burn marks and really hurt someone, so stick with something specially made for BDSM. They tend to be softer and more gentle."

"How should I go about tying him if he's... fidgety?"

"Well, since you're a beginner, start with the single column tie, or a two column tie if you're going to do his wrists together. Maybe start by tying him to something, like a bedpost or a chair, and then he'll be in the perfect position to listen to what you have to say, and to be able to respond. Is he pretty well behaved or is he a bit on the naughty side?"

"Naughty."

"Ah, so he might not respond to you still, so you probably have to tease him a little bit to get him to open up. Not to mention, give some information about yourself too. If he sees you sharing, he might share a bit himself. Try not to go too private at first, just ask surface level questions to start out. See how he responds to those and then move on when you feel it's safe to do so. And, sweetheart, that brings me to my most important reminder... This has to be entirely consensual. He has to agree to all of this first."

"What if he's too shy to agree out loud?"

"Give him a safe word to use if he doesn't like what's going on. That way, when he says the safe word, you know it's time to end everything you're doing. Make sure you untie him and assure him everything is safe and open and he can express how he feels. Aftercare, whether he uses the safe word or not, is extremely important. Make sure to clean him up after, make sure to talk to him gently, assure him everything is alright and he's the one in control, because in the end, that's the fact; submissives are the ones in control. They call the shots on what they want and don't want. So make sure you listen to him and his body language. If he starts genuinely making noises of discomfort, back off and give him a chance to say the safe word. Sometimes submissives think they can go further than they actually can, so keep an eye on him. If things get too rough, he'll tell you one way or another."

"Understood," I murmured, considering his words, "I think I know what I want to do now." Akin brightened.

"That's amazing. I'm so glad you're asking these questions, Hadrian. I really appreciate you sitting down to talk to me about it. This kind of topic isn't for everyone. This kind of lifestyle isn't for everyone, but once you take your first few steps, you'll see why it's such a special way of living. There's something so passionate and raw about it. Not everyone can handle it, but those who can are really special. I look forward to you telling me more about it." I nodded as I rose to my feet.

"Thank you, Akin," I said, then paused, glancing at where Hannibal was cutting up carrots, "I'll let you get back to what you were doing." Hannibal stopped cutting to put his hands on the edge of the counter. Akin grinned.

"Of course. Good luck, Hadrian," he said, flashing me a thumbs up before he got up. I nodded and teleported away from Akin's home back to my home in Purgatory. As soon as I arrived, I noticed something off about the house. I frowned. I couldn't feel either of my parents in the house, nor Remi and Castiel, which means they'd probably all gone to town. But I felt Lumen here, as well as another presence that didn't quite belong. There was something familiar about it, but I couldn't quite place how.

I started up to Lumen's room, pausing in front of the enchanted door. I stared at it. It felt wrong to simply open the door and barge into Lumen's room. She required privacy and I respected that. At the same time, there was someone else in there that didn't quite belong. Surely she hadn't invited the Cousins over just to enchant the door; that wouldn't make any sense. So what did I do?

If I knocked, whoever it was would probably vanish. I wouldn't get to see who they were.

If I barged in, I risked my relationship with Lumen.

If I told my parents, I once again risked my relationship with Lumen, on top of dragging my parents into a mess that wasn't theirs.

So I did the only thing I could do at that moment.

I walked away. I desperately wanted to know who Lumen was meeting in her room privately. At the same time, it wasn't worth it to risk my relationship with her or to scare away whoever it was inside. Then the whole thing would've been pointless and I would've put my relationship with Lumen at risk for no reason. It was best to wait and see if there was another way. She'd clearly continue meeting whoever it was, since she's been meeting them this whole time.

Sighing, I simply went to my room to do a little more research on what Akin had been talking about with knots and ropes. I had assumed I could use regular ropes, but I didn't want to hurt Six. I just wanted him to hold still long enough for me to not only interrogate him, but... perhaps for something more. Of course, the knot works were a bit difficult at first, but I got the hang of it after a few more tries.

A couple hours later, I felt the presence in Lumen's room leave, and felt the presence of my fathers, Remi, and Castiel take their place. I got up and got dressed for my practice session with dad. I threw on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and headed downstairs. Right as my feet touched the last step, I felt a strange presence flicker near me. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck raise, and a slow smile crept onto my face.

I made my way into the dance studio where dad was just getting in himself.

"Hey," dad greeted with a smile, "You look good today. That skincare routine is doing wonders."

"Tell me about it. It feels great," I replied. Dad smiled, then nodded and went over to the stereo to play some music, but it was gentle for now, not the usual loud roar in the room. Dad came over and we started as we usually did, taking turns, accepting feedback and criticism on our moves until we could dance together, get a routine going, and cranked the music up a bit louder.

"So," dad said as we took our break to get some water, "Akin called me today." I frowned. Of course he did. I wasn't angry with Akin for telling dad. Just... disappointed. I wasn't sure how to explain to my dad who I was seeing, or not seeing. Not to mention, I could feel Six somewhere in the room, so no doubt he was eavesdropping.

"Oh did he?" I asked. Dad nodded.

"He said you were interested in, ah, relationships."

"Yes, perhaps."

"You didn't say anything to me," dad said, sounding a little disappointed, and I felt a twinge in my gut at that.

"I'm not sure where it's going," I said at last, "I want to keep it quiet until I'm certain. I'm sorry I didn't say anything." Dad smiled as he came over and put his arm around me to tug me close. I let him hug me.

"It's okay, Hadrian. I don't want you to feel pressured to tell me everything, but when you're ready, I'd like to hear about it, alright?" He asked. I nodded. Dad smiled, then leaned in and kissed me on the temple.

"I love you," he said. I looked at him.

"I love you too," I answered. He looked delighted to hear it. It was enough to make me smile.

We finished out our practice before we headed to dinner. At the table, Lumen seemed to be her normal self. She laughed at Castiel and Remi's antics and ate her food like a dainty fairy princess, smiled and said I love you to our parents, she smiled at me and said I love you, then she departed for her room with the excuse that she was tired and wanted to sleep early.

I got up and followed close behind her. I could still feel Six following me, still feel the prickly sensation of him moving along with my shadow. I caught up to Lumen in the hallway outside her room.

"Lumen, wait," I said, making her blink and turn to look at me curiously.

"What's wrong?" She asked. I hesitated. I wasn't entirely sure how I should approach her on the subject. Wouldn't she feel accused if I said I felt someone was in her room behind the enchantment? Wouldn't she feel cornered? That would certainly make her angry, and yet... Who was in her room? Who was it that maybe Six knew? Realizing I didn't need to corner Lumen over it, I simply smiled.

"Nothing. Just. Sleep well," I said. Lumen studied me for a moment, clearly suspicious, before she nodded slowly.

"Thank you, sweet brother," she replied, then stepped forward to kiss me on the cheek before she disappeared into her room. I stood there for a moment, staring at the door, waiting for the enchantment, but felt nor saw a thing. Relaxing to a degree, I went to my room and shut the door. I waited, feeling that soft prickle as I made my way to my bed. I stood there for a moment, then smiled.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," I sang softly. The air rippled just a tiny bit. Hardly noticeable. I turned to see Six standing over by the door, eyeing me warily. I couldn't resist smiling. He was wearing that mesh shirt again. The one that hugged every dip and curve of his muscular form, and those cute nipples cinched in tight.

"I'm surprised," I commented, "I didn't think you'd return so promptly." Six's cheeks pinkened, but he kept a straight face. He clenched his fists at his sides for a moment, then unclenched them and reached behind him to his holster to remove another blade. Most likely enchanted. So his goal was still not to hurt me, but to capture me.

Too bad I wasn't able to get hold of any special ropes for him tonight. A quick look around my room, though, revealed a somewhat similar suggestion. I looked back at Six, who passed the blade back and forth between his hands.

"Should I start or do you want to start?" I asked. Six narrowed his eyes. He gripped the blade tight in his palm, but he didn't come after me. Which meant it was my turn to begin, so I inclined my head and vanished. Six cursed and stepped forward, giving me just enough space to reappear behind him, so I could catch his waist and whip him around, throwing him off balance. He stumbled and dropped the blade, much to my delight, and I shoved him back, so he stumbled again and caught himself on the bed. His hand went around the post and his other reaching back onto the bed itself. I reached behind him and whipped the sheet out from under him, whipping it around and tying his wrist to the bedpost. He cursed, looking at it in surprise before he snapped his head around to glare at me.

A sheet wouldn't hold him. I knew that. I was testing whether or not he really wanted what was coming next. If he didn't, he'd easily rip the sheet from his wrist and charge me. If he did, he would lay back and let me do what I wanted to do.

I approached him, bumping my chest against his and he jerked his head up to glare at me, his chest heaving, his breath coming out in sharp pants. I smiled at that, reached up and brushed my fingers by his cheek. He stopped for a moment, like he was confused. I splayed my hand out across his cheek, drew my fingers gently under his chin, slid my thumb up to brush his bottom lip. He was frozen now. He just stared up at me, those hazel eyes shining in the lights. He was transfixed. I rubbed my thumb across that thick bottom lip, back and forth, then dared to part those lips, which opened easily. I sank my thumb into his mouth, brushing it across his teeth, feeling the gentle ridges, the perfect straight line that was interrupted by sharp canines.

"Beautiful," I murmured without thinking. Six's eyes widened, then quickly darted away, like he couldn't believe what was happening. I tightened my grip on his jaw, tightened my thumb on his bottom teeth and gave his head a little jerk, making him gasp and look back up at me again.

"Don't look away," I ordered, "Look at me." He stared at me obediently, honestly like he could all day long, and I shared the sentiment.

Six was a beautiful piece of male. All rippling muscles, yet somehow still a bit on the lean side, with his dark hair swept back from his face, save for this little lock that curled near his jaw, those big hazel eyes that just sparkled in the lights, like there was a wave of excitement in him too. And gods, I felt it the closer I got to him. I felt the hard length of him pressing against mine. I felt his muscles quiver, his breath leave in soft gasps of disbelief.

What a gift to the universe.

"What is your name?" I demanded.

"Six," he answered immediately. I smiled.

"Good boy," I murmured, watching his cheeks darken, his eyelids fluttering for a moment. I loosened my hold on his jaw, then continued to run my thumb along the inside of his mouth, tracing his teeth, swirling it around his tongue, so wet and hot. It did things to me I had no idea could happen to my body. There was a deep throbbing ache between my legs. This red hot desire to push him down and mount him, take him raw and hard, until he begged for me to stop.

Of course, I immediately remembered Akin's advice.

I needed to give him a safe word.

"Your safe word is Mother," I stated. He blinked at that, looking curiously confused. I whipped him around abruptly and bent him over on the bed. He gasped against the blankets and went to shove himself up with the one hand he had, but I swatted it out from under him and he fell face first on the bed again. I put my hand on his back to pin him down, then used my other one to grab the hem of his pants, dragging them down in one swift move.

"Stop!" He gasped immediately, squirming on the bed. He didn't try to break free from the sheet, though. He also didn't use the safe word. At the same time, instinctively, I stopped. I waited for a moment, mostly because I was enamoured by his ass. A perky round thing that stuck right up in the air, black BDU pants gathered around his ankles, sans underwear.

So he went commando.

Somehow that was delightful.

I smiled and put my hand directly against his cheek, feeling the heat there. He gasped again.

"Stop," he ordered.

"You don't get to tell me what to do," I said immediately, watching his cheeks darken further as he turned his head to glare back at me, "You only listen to me and answer when I speak to you. What is your name?" He pursed his lips together in defiance. I inclined my head.

"Have it your way," I replied, then drew my hand back and landed it home, right against his right buttcheek. It bounced and the sound cracked under my palm and he cried out in shock, his free hand grabbing at the blankets, his other struggling against the sheet, but not nearly enough to get set free. I gave him a moment to cope with what I'd just done. He looked positively stunned, his mouth open, his eyes wide.

"What is your name?" I repeated. He snapped his head over his shoulder to look at me and I drew my hand back as a threat.

"Six! My name is Six!" He blurted. I inclined my head.

"Good boy," I praised, and instead of swatting my hand against his ass, I gently placed my palm over where I'd struck him before and rubbed it. He trembled under my touch. He looked at me almost shyly now, his hazel eyes still wide.

I wasn't entirely sure what to ask him next frankly. Part of me just wanted to spank him for no reason, but that would be cruel. I needed to question him. That's what this was. My attempt to interrogate him. However, I needed to start small, ask small questions before I worked my way up to the big question of why the mother wanted me.

"What's your favorite color?" I asked out of the blue. Now why the hell did I ask such a thing? What kind of useful information was that? He seemed to wonder the same thing because he looked back at me, confused.

"Favorite. Color," I commanded, drawing my hand back. He panicked.

"Ah, I-I don't know, green-- blue, no, blue," he said quickly. I nodded and placed my hand gently on his backside as I tried to quickly think of another question.

"Who are your parents?" I asked instead. That seemed to touch a button because this time, he clammed up. He pursed his lips again. I glared at him.

"One more chance to answer," I warned. He glared back at me defiantly. I nodded and drew my hand back, swatting it hard against his ass. He gasped, his body jerking forward to escape me, but to no avail. Already a red handprint was forming on his perfect tight globe. He trembled a little.

"Who are your parents?" I asked again. He shook his head against the blankets. I drew my hand back and slapped him again. He gasped, his lips parted and a little line of drool spilling out onto the blankets. I drew my hand back, not waiting for a response this time, before I spanked him hard.

Once, twice, three times. Each time he cried out, his body jerked, his ass bounced under my palm, bright red.

"Who are your parents?" I repeated. I drew my hand back to slap him again, but this time he cried something out against the blankets. I hesitated.

"Say that again, lift your head," I ordered. He trembled, lifting his head up from the blankets, panting as he struggled to find his breath.

"I don't know," he managed. I narrowed my eyes.

"The truth," I ordered.

"That is the truth," he exclaimed, "They don't tell us who our parents are."

"Why?"

"So we don't seek them out."

"Seven knew where to find his parents."

"Seven can hear things we can't," he managed, "He has heightened sense of hearing. He probably overheard someone talking about his parents, I don't know. I don't know how he knows exactly, but that's what I'm assuming."

"Heightened sense of hearing?" I asked. That was the first I heard of it. I knew he had sensitive hearing, but heightened sense? So more than normal? Of course, my question went unanswered as Six pursed his lips up again. I spanked him hard.

"Yes," Six cried, "Yes, he has heightened hearing!"

"How?"

"I don't know," Six groaned, "It's something with our genetics. Every one of the artificials has something specific that they can do that the others can't."

"Like a special ability," I murmured, earning a nod from Six, "And your ability to hide your presence... That's yours." He didn't nod or speak, so I spanked him again and he yelped.

"Yes!" He gasped. I raised an eyebrow. That didn't quite sound like a response to my question. Curiously, I drew my hand back and spanked him again. He cried out and his body shuddered for a moment, his thighs scissoring before his body went slack on the bed, his breath coming out in pants.

I stared at him for a full moment before I realized what had happened.

A slow smile spread across my face. I leaned down to his ear.

"Did you just come?" I whispered. He moaned, pushing at the floor with his feet. He squirmed, almost as if to get away from me and deeper into the blankets. I smiled, this time stroking his cheeks. They were certainly red now, especially since I'd begun to alternate between the two.

I waited a moment to give him a chance to recover and debated getting some ointment from the bathroom to put on his cheeks. That was certainly going to sting when he tried to sit for a while.

"Aftercare, whether he uses the safe word or not, is extremely important."

Right.

I pushed away from him and went to the bathroom, digging out some ointment before coming back to see him struggling to push himself up onto his one hand. As soon as I was behind him again, I pushed him back down on the bed and he gasped, but didn't fight me. I sat down and squirted some ointment on my palm before placing it on his cheek. He hissed for a moment, then breathed out a sigh of relief as I started to rub the ointment in. He relaxed as I massaged the cream against his cheeks until it was fully absorbed.

"So you genuinely don't know who your parents are?" I asked. Six shook his head, pushing himself up just a bit to prop himself up on his arm.

"No... They don't tell us."

"Haven't you ever been curious?" I asked. Six was quiet for a moment. Not because of refusal to speak, but because he seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. Those hazel eyes grew tired and... sad.

"There's no point," Six said quietly. I looked down at the floor for a moment.

At that moment, there was a flare of power somewhere in the house. I jerked my head up, recognizing it instantly, my eyes widening in shock. I shot to my feet and turned to let Six up, except he'd already vanished. He was gone, as if he'd never been there. I started to head out of the room, then stopped when I realized something. I turned to see the sheet still tied to the bedpost.

He'd never once tried to escape from it.

A smile crept onto my face.