Eijirou woke up feeling boneless. The bed he slept in smelled heavily of sex and Katsuki. It was a strange feeling, the slight ache he felt in his hips and lower back. Some time had passed since the last time he felt anything in those areas. Most of those memories were tainted by fear and humiliation, but waking up in Katsuki's bed, sore from the small scene they did together had a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. 

"You're up," Katsuki spoke from the other side of the bed and Eijirou rolled over with a sleepy smile. "You were gone for a few hours. You should drink something and eat," his Master spoke deeply while handing over a cup of water and a bowl of fruit. "You were in subspace," Katsuki continued while he took the cup and bought it to his lips. The cool water cleared his throat from the dry and scratchy feeling lingering from his sleep. 

"Subspace? That floaty feeling that makes me sleepy?" he questioned. The last time he felt that had been just as intense if not more. There was a difference. Once was brought on by such heavy amounts of stress while the other was from pleasure. Eijirou much preferred the pleasure. 

"Exactly," the blond replied with a soft chuckle, "the floaty feeling." Katsuki took the cup back once Eijirou finished at least half before handing over the bowl of fruit. The pampering was nice but felt a bit much. He didn't bother saying anything though. If Katsuki thought this was necessary, then it was. 

"I've got to go to work tomorrow," the redhead brought up after taking a few bites of the sliced fruit. He had agreed to move in with Katsuki, but that didn't mean he suddenly was going to stop working. 

"About that," his Master said, suddenly taking a more serious tone. "We need to talk about your long term goals. Right now you're working at a restaurant, and there is nothing wrong with that, but have you thought about going back to school? I know you wanted to at one point," Katsuki asked while staring at him intently. 

Eijirou hadn't thought about school for a long time. The last time he considered furthering his education he was held back by his mother's drug debt. Those were days he didn't like thinking about. Katsuki shifted closer to his side and ran a possessive hand through his hair.

"I know this might be bringing up bad memories, but it's my job as your dominant to help you reach your goals. Right now, we don't have any listed in your contract. That will need to be completed before giving it to Aizawa."

Eijioru frowned slightly but relaxed as Katsuki's hand combed tenderly through his tangled strands of hair. They had briefly gone over their contract, enough for Eijioru to understand and learn the basic rules, but he was too inexperienced to really mark his limit sheet. Katsuki had said that the contract could be amended at any point and updated copies would be given to the club for Aizawa's keeping.  It was all for safety. The Master Dominant was protective of the club's submissives. He had copies of their contracts and limit sheets so he could ensure that while on club property, no Dominant was overstepping their boundaries. 

"I don't know what I want to do long term. It feels a little late for me to return to college," he mused while picking at the fruit in his lap. 

"It's not though. Education is important. What do you see yourself doing in the future? There must be some goals you have in mind."

Eijioru's frown deepened. That was the issue. He didn't have any goals, more did he see himself anywhere in the future. For so long he was living day-to-day. Eijirou didn't plan to do anything other than survive. He had Denki to thank for getting him on the right track, and Katsuki to thank for showing him that stability was something he could have in his life. His Master was showing him safety he had never felt before. 

"I will think about it, Master," he said softly while casting his eyes in Katsuki's direction. The blond sighed but nodded, seeming pleased enough by the answer. 

"Okay. We will talk more about this in one week. I expect you to at least have some ideas by then. Understand?" Katsuki demanded and Eijirou nodded with a soft smile. It was more and more clear over the days that Katsuki cared about him deeply. Eijirou just didn't know how deeply that affection went. 

Sometimes, the redhead swore Katsuki's feelings went deeper than that of a Master and submissive relationship. It felt deeper than even their friendship. It was a confusing topic when Eijirou knew their relationship was exclusive but not romantic. He didn't even know if he wanted it to be romantic. But, each time Katsuki held him close or spoke sweetly in his direction, Eijirou might have slid a bit deeper in love with the man. 

"Yes, Master," he replied perfectly and watched as Katsuki nodded. His Master slipped out of bed, his boxers hanging low on his hips. He must have gotten more comfortable after Eijirou had passed out. A stab of guilt shot through him. He didn't even reciprocate after his mindblowing orgasm. 

"Don't even think about it," Katsuki scolded and he flinched out of his thoughts. "You got that dumb crease in your forehead again. Whatever you're thinking, just stop."

Eijioru gaped at him from across the room before shutting his mouth and going back to his fruit. Just like that, the guilt was gone. He wasn't a bad submissive for falling into subspace, and if anything, Katsuki was happy he had slipped. If his Master wanted his service then he would have ordered it, and it warmed his heart to see the blond setting his own desire aside to help him replace some bad memories with better ones. 

"Yes, Master," he replied, simply, with a soft smile pulling at his lips. 

"Good," Katsuki chuckled and began pulling on a pair of jeans. "Finish the fruit if you can. I will be back in a few minutes. I've got to take care of some paperwork since you're moving in. I will have a key made for you and put your name on the access list. That way no one will stop you from entering the complex or my company location. I know you're tired of having to sign in and have them call me before sending you up. I might require your assistance and having to wait is a mood killer," Katsuki smirked before tugging a shirt on over his head. 

"My 'assistance'? You mean you might be horny and being called by your office assistant is a mood killer?" Eijirou grinned with a chuckle. He didn't blame Katsuki for that at all. Hearing that old woman's voice over the phone would have been a  buzzkill for anyone. 

"Exactly, Red. Now finish eating," he ordered with that smirk still on his face. Eijioru chuckled and popped a strawberry in his mouth as Katsuki left the room. The sweet fruit was helping to wake him up and replenish his blood sugar levels. After such an intense scene his body needed the rest and the nutrients. He could understand why Katsuki was making him take it easy now. That, and probably because of the awful thing he read about in one of Katsuki's books called 'sub-drop'. Apparently, it could happen to Dominants as well. 'Dom-drop' was just as common, and happened when the Dominant felt guilty after a particularly intense scene. That's why aftercare was such a necessary thing for all parties involved.

Eijioru finished his fruit and laid back down in bed. A lot has happened in the past few days, and the redhead thought he should have felt overwhelmed or uncomfortable with the pace of their relationship, but he didn't.

Katsuki treated him well and their friendship was on the mend. Their relationship as Dom and sub was building up their underlying friendship better than any normal activity could provide. Katsuki's absence in his life was soul-shattering, but his presence was awakening and rejuvenating those bits of the broken boy he once was. 

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I am back to working on Ropes and Roses after a long break. I hope you all are excited for the second half of Katsuki's and Eijirou's story.  

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-Red