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Zel and Ace were in the middle of their date when Zel spotted the last person he wanted to run into. They had gone for a walk in the countryside on the outskirts of town where nobody would see them. But then Zel saw him in the distance, and he was staring directly at Ace.
He was not Lord Fear; no, this was worse: he was Talbot Landon . The man had multiple accusations of sexual assault to his name, but due to the nature of his supernatural abilities, he had never been convicted of anything.
As soon as Zel saw Talbot, a sick feeling grew in his stomach.
“What’s wrong?” Ace asked.
“Don’t stare, but there’s a guy on the other side of this field, wearing a blue suit. Whatever you do, don’t let him get near you.”
Ace glanced over at Talbot. “Oh, that guy?” he said, turning back to Zel. “He’s just a human. He’s no match for a Lightning Knight!”
“No, it’s…” Zel rubbed his brow, unsure of how to put it. “I’m sure you could defeat him, but I don’t like to think what he’d do to you first.”
But when Zel looked over the field again, he saw that Talbot was gone.
“How do you mean?” Ace said.
Looking down at some nearby flowers, Zel said, “Hmm, I’m not sure how to explain it. He’s gone now, anyway.”
The rest of the date went well, with no more issues. There was one point when Zel asked Ace for a kiss, and Ace didn’t seem to know what a kiss was. Zel had to show him how to do it. But Zel figured it must be something they didn’t do in the Sixth Dimension; there were some cultures in the human world that didn’t kiss, so it didn’t seem too strange to Zel.
But then, when Zel was coming back from having taken a bathroom break behind a tree, he found that Talbot was talking to Ace.
As soon as Zel saw Talbot, he swore and ran over to him. “Back off, you creep!” Zel said. “You lay a finger on him and I’m calling the cops!”
“Oh, hello Zel.” Talbot didn’t seem at all unnerved by Zel’s threat. “I was just having a chat with your boyfriend here, nothing to worry about.”
“You leave him alone.” Zel glared at him. “He’s a Lightning Knight; if I don’t kick your ass first, then he will.”
Talbot held up both of his hands. “Well, I apologise if I have made either of you uncomfortable. Anyway, I should be getting back; it’s almost time for dinner.”
And with that, Talbot left. Zel breathed a sigh of relief.
“What was that about?” Ace said. “He didn’t seem all that bad, although I guess the questions he asked me were kind of weird.”
“What did he ask you?” Zel’s heart hammered.
“Just… I don’t know, stuff that made no sense.” Ace scratched the back of his head. “Like… do I know where babies come from.” He laughed. “Of course I do! Everyone knows a stork brings them in a little basket.”
Zel’s mouth fell open. Did he really not know…?
But Ace continued, “And then he said,” here he did an impression of Talbot’s voice, “‘I bet you’d squeal like a schoolgirl in bed’ I mean come on, what’s that supposed to mean? I don’t even have a bed! And then he asked me if I’d ‘gone all the way’ with you yet… I just told him he sounds crazy!”
Oh god , Zel thought, I’m gonna have to give the sex talk to a thirty-two-year-old man .
Before Zel went home that day, he told Ace to call him immediately if he saw Talbot again. Ace still seemed confused, but he told Zel he would do so.
When Zel got home, he turned on his computer and muttered, “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” before searching Google for ‘how to give the sex talk’. But as he had expected, all the resources he found were for giving the sex talk to children. There was no mention of ridiculously naive adults.
Then he thought that perhaps he should give Ace the benefit of the doubt. He must at least have an inkling. Perhaps he just wasn’t familiar with the innuendos that were used in this world. Perhaps the people of the sixth dimension had sex in a way that would be completely alien to the people in the human world.
But that still wouldn’t explain him thinking that babies came from a stork…
Zel sighed, and closed the tab on the Google search. If he wanted to pursue a relationship with Ace, he would need to have this conversation sooner or later. And even if he decided Ace wasn’t the right partner for him, Ace still needed to know about it for his own safety; what if Talbot or someone else tried something with him, and he didn’t even know what was happening? Zel shuddered at the thought.
A few days later, Zel called Ace and asked him if he wanted to come over on the following Friday. When he agreed, Zel made him promise not to break anything.
When Friday came around, everything went to plan. Ace was on his best behaviour and didn’t break anything in Zel’s house, and he was extra gentle when they kissed and cuddled.
As for how to give the talk, Zel wanted to try and gauge how much Ace actually knew. Even if he didn’t know about sex itself, he might still have some basic knowledge.
After a long, deep kiss on the sofa in the sitting room, Zel asked, “How does this make you feel?”
“Pretty good!” Ace said, and smiled his adorable smile.
Zel ran his hand through Ace’s hair and said, “Is there anything else you want to do?”
Ace shook his head. “Not that I can think of.”
He really is clueless , Zel thought. But there was still one thing he wanted to check: “How about if I sit on your lap? Would you like that?”
Still grinning, Ace shrugged, “I don’t see why not!”
Zel climbed onto Ace’s lap and kissed him, grabbing Ace’s hair with both of his hands. And yes, there it was: Zel could feel Ace had a massive hard-on. But it seemed he had no idea what to do with it.
Pulling away from the kiss, Zel said in a low voice, “Why don’t we take this up to the bedroom?”
“The bedroom?” Ace’s brow furrowed. “What’s the difference between there and here?”
Zel sighed. “Ace, there’s something I really need to talk to you about if we want to continue seeing each other.”
“Oh?” Ace inclined his head. “What’s that?”
“Come on,” Zel got up from Ace’s lap. “We can talk about it upstairs.”
The bedroom was the biggest room in Zel’s house. In the centre was a king-size bed, surrounded by shelves of vinyl records. On a chest of drawers by the bed was a record player.
“Oh wow,” Ace said as he looked around the room. “This is pretty neat, I -”
“ Don’t. Touch. The record player. ” Zel said, standing between it and Ace.
“All right. So what is it that you have to tell me?”
Zel sat down on the bed, and patted the space next to him. Ace sat down beside him.
Still considering how best to approach this, Zel hesitated for a moment, then he sighed. “OK, so whoever told you that babies come from storks was lying. That’s the sort of thing people tell little kids.”
“Seriously?” Ace said, with laughter in his voice, “Well, I suppose you learn something new every day. What has this got to do with us, anyhow?”
“Ok, so… the way that babies are actually made feels so good that a lot of people want to do it over and over, even if they don’t want a baby.”
“Hmm, interesting,” Ace fixed his gaze on Zel. “So if storks aren’t involved in any way, how does it work?”
There was no way that Zel could put this off any longer. He told Ace in the bluntest, most unambiguous language, so as not to confuse him or give him any more false beliefs.
As Zel spoke, Ace’s eyes got wider and wider, then his jaw dropped. He covered his mouth with his hand, and his face turned red.
When Zel had finished, Ace was trembling. For a long time, he seemed unable to speak. Then, at last, he said, “And… are we supposed to do this… tonight? ”
Zel shook his head. “No, I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do. But I needed to explain this to you so that you’re aware. It would also help if you tried to work out what you want from our relationship.”
Ace breathed deeply, eyes still wide.
“Ace, it’s OK, don’t worry,” Zel put an arm around him. “You’ve had a bit of a shock but this had to happen at some point. If you want to go home, that’s fine. I can walk you back if you want, but I don’t have to. Just have a think about what you want to do.”
They were quiet for a long time. No sound came from the room other than their breathing, and the ticking of the clock on the wall over the bed.
Then at last, Ace spoke: “I… I think it would be best if I went home, by myself.”
“Of course,” Zel said, getting up to go and open the window. “If you need me, please give me a call.”
“Sure, will do.” Ace said.
Over the next few weeks, Zel heard nothing from Ace. He hoped he was doing all right, but he did worry sometimes. A couple of times he considered calling him, but thought it might make the situation worse.
While he waited for Ace to get in touch, he listened to music. There was one song in particular that reminded him of Ace: Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Little Wing.’ The lyrics captured Ace’s sweet, dreamy innocence perfectly. Sometimes Zel would sing it while he did chores, changing the pronouns from ‘she’ to ‘he’.
And he began to realise he was more than a little turned on by Ace’s innocence. Would Zel be the first one to corrupt him? What thoughts could he fill Ace’s unspoiled mind with?
Then one evening, his phone rang.
“Zel? It’s me.” It was Ace.
“Ace, sweetheart, are you all right?” Zel said.
“I suppose I’m good.” There was a pause. “So, er… I wanted to know if I could come to your place sometime?”
“Of course! Next Friday is best for me, if that suits you?”
“Sure!”
On Friday night, Zel was reading in his bedroom when he heard a tap on the window. He opened it to let Ace inside.
Once the curtains were closed, Ace embraced Zel, lifting him up about a foot in the air as he did so.
“How have you been since you were last here?” Zel asked, stroking Ace’s hair.
Ace gave a faint smile, but he looked away from Zel. “Yeah, that’s… I wanted to talk about that, that’s why I’m here.” He put Zel down so he was sitting on the side of the bed.
He folded his hands in front of him and looked at the floor. Now his cheeks started to turn pink. “So, I…” he began, “I wanted to know if… I don’t really know how to say this but I’ll try my best. What you told me about before, would you be able to make me want to do it? To… to see if I want to do it or not.”
“ Oh, ” Zel couldn’t help laughing. “You want me to put you in the mood, is that what you want?”
Ace covered his face with his hands.
“Well, come here then, come sit on the bed.” Zel said.
Ace peaked over his hands at Zel. This man has saved the world multiple times , Zel thought, knowing he shouldn’t find this so funny.
“I just want you to sit down next to me, Ace,” Zel said. “I’m going to do it as slow as you need.”
Taking a deep breath, Ace flew over to sit beside Zel.
“Good, there we are,” Zel rubbed Ace’s lower back in an attempt to calm him. “First of all I need you to remember this: the moment you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable, you need to say ‘stop’. That is the most important thing to remember. Do you think you can do that?”
Ace nodded, his shoulders shaking a little. “Yes.”
“Good. Now take deep breaths, and let me know when you’re ready.”
For a long time neither of them said anything, and Zel could hear Ace trying to steady his breathing.
Then at last, Ace said, “OK. So what’s the first step?”
“Well, if you want to be in the mood for it, it will help if I make the room a little more intimate.” Zel got up from the bed, then turned on the bedside lamp and turned the main light off. Then he turned on some imitation scented candles - imitation because he didn’t trust Ace to be near a naked flame - that he had placed around the room.
Now the bedroom was lit with a warm glow, and the scent of vanilla cherry filled the air. “Is this all right for you?” Zel asked.
“Yes, it’s… it’s nice.” Ace said, looking around at the candles.
Sitting back down near the head of the bed, Zel motioned for Ace to sit beside him. When they were side by side again, Zel took Ace’s hand. “So, does this make you feel good?” he said as placed the palm of his hand flat against Ace’s own.
“Yeah,” Ace said, “those candles smell so good.”
“Do you want me to move on to the next step?”
This time Ace didn’t seem so tense. “Yeah, sure.”
“Remember what you have to do if you feel uncomfortable at any point?”
“I have to say ‘stop’.”
“Perfect.” Zel then got up and moved so he was straddling Ace’s legs. He kissed him, tender and soft. Ace seemed to be getting better at kissing.
“OK,” Zel said, touching his forehead to Ace’s own. “I’m going to touch you now, if that’s all right?”
“But… you’re already touching me.” Ace said.
“No, I’m going to touch you in a different place. I think it might help you get in the mood if I touch your thighs first. Are you all right with that?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“OK.” Zel pulled back from Ace, then moved down to place his hands on Ace’s thighs.
At first he only ran his hands over the front of Ace’s thighs, to ease him into it. He listened to Ace’s breathing, and it was still steady. He placed the heels of his hands on Ace’s thighs, then lifted his fingers and moved them up and down, as gentle as he could.
“Huh,” Ace said, “I guess that feels kind of nice, but I don’t see how this is supposed to -”
Just then Zel ran his fingers up Ace’s inner thighs, making him gasp.
Zel removed his hands. “Are you all right?”
“That’s -” Ace swallowed. “What is that? You don’t secretly have lightning powers as well, do you?”
Shaking his head, Zel said, “Sadly I am a mere mortal. But this is how it’s supposed to feel for most people. It’s just your body getting ready for what we’re about to do. Want me to continue?”
“Yes, yes please.”
Grinning, Zel stroked Ace’s inner thighs up and down with the tips of his fingers. He heard Ace’s breath hitch in his throat, and when he looked up, he saw that Ace was covering his mouth with his hands, as if he were trying to stop himself from making a noise.
“It’s all right, you can make noises if you need to,” Zel said. “It’s normal.”
Without saying anything, Ace lowered his shoulders and hands. His eyes were wide and his cheeks were flushed.
Zel resumed his work. He moved his fingers up and down again and again, and each time he moved them up, he moved them closer to the protrusion in between Ace’s legs. And then, while he continued to touch Ace’s inner thigh with one hand, he stroked Ace's thigh fold with the other.
Ace let out a high-pitched, girlish moan.
Zel looked up and Ace clapped a hand to his mouth. “I-I’m sorry,” Ace said. Now his face was bright red. “I didn’t know it would… I didn’t know it would sound like that, I-”
“Aren’t you adorable?” Zel said. “Don’t worry about it, make as much noise as you need. I’d like to hear you enjoying it.”
“Even if… even if it sounds like that? Because I don’t think I can… I don’t think I can make it not sound like that.”
“Personally I don’t mind if you make whatever noises you want. But if it’s embarrassing you, you can cover your mouth.”
Ace nodded, putting his hands back over his mouth.
If he’s like this during the foreplay , Zel thought, how is he going to hold it together if we go all the way?
Zel continued to tease Ace’s thigh fold, and all the while Ace bit his hands so he didn’t make any more embarrassing noises. He trembled and blushed and strands of hair fell over his forehead.
“Does this make you want it?” Zel asked.
Unable to speak without moaning, Ace nodded.
“Oh yes, I’ve corrupted you now, haven’t I?” Zel smiled. “You were so pure and innocent before, and now you’re desperate for a good fuck.”
Ace made a stifled moan in the back of his throat.
The way Ace blushed and trembled made Zel want to tease him all night. Prolong it until Ace was begging him. He even considered denying him altogether, but he figured that would be too cruel.
He leaned forward and whispered in Ace’s ear, “So, have I put you in the mood now?”
Ace said nothing, looking as if he didn’t dare remove his hands in case he made another noise.
So Zel got off of Ace’s lap and sat back down beside him. “Come on, talk to me.” He rubbed Ace’s lower back again. “I need you to tell me how you’re feeling so far.”
He heard Ace swallow, and then Ace lowered his hands. His face was still flushed. Ace took a deep breath, then said, “Yes, you have. You’ve made me really want it. But… does this mean I'll have to use my… um…”
“If we’re going to go all the way, then yes, you will have to.”
Ace let out a loud breath, and put his hands over his face again.
“If you don’t want to do it, then we won’t. You can go home, or we can spend the night just kissing and cuddling. Whatever you feel comfortable doing.”
“I don’t want you to see it.” Ace started to tremble.
“All right, that’s fine.” Zel rested his head on Ace’s shoulder.
For a while they both said nothing, as Zel imagined Ace was trying to work out what he wanted to do.
Then at last, Ace spoke: “I really want it, though. You’ve made me want it. I don’t think I could go back home without having done it. I just need to… I need to try to get ready for it.”
“Of course,” Zel said. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Can you… touch it? Through my clothes. I just want to know what it’ll feel like.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Zel reached out a hand, and placed it between Ace’s legs. He heard Ace’s breath catch in his throat. Zel ran a single finger along Ace’s length.
“That’s so good.” Ace said. “I really want to do it now. I think I can show it to you, but I need a little more time…”
“Hang on, I have an idea.” Zel said, getting up off the bed.
“What is it?” Ace asked.
Zel went over to one of the shelves and flipped through the records. It wasn’t long until he found it: Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs . Eric Clapton’s cover of ‘Little Wing’ was much longer and slower than the original; perfect for what Zel hoped they were about to do. “While you get ready, we could listen to some music,” he said. “There’s one song in particular on here that reminds me of you.”
“Oh?” Ace said. “I don’t know much about music, but go ahead.”
For the first few tracks, they sat together in silence, Ace resting his head on Zel’s shoulder, his hand in Zel’s own.
And then, somehow, without either of them quite knowing how, they were kissing again, with Zel back in Ace’s lap. Zel’s fingers ran through Ace’s hair, and Ace’s hands clung to the back of Zel’s shirt. The music only served to make them more needy, not wanting their lips to be apart for longer than it took to take a breath.
What was that taste in Ace’s mouth…? Zel couldn’t quite put his finger on it. All he knew was that if electricity were to have a taste, that was what it would taste like. Other than that, he had no words for it. It was strangely addictive.
As they made out, Zel could tell that Ace was getting closer and closer to being ready. He felt Ace’s erection beneath him; he even felt it twitch a few times.
Then Zel’s breath caught as Ace grabbed his wrist, and moved it downwards. He placed Zel’s hand under his belt. Zel’s fingers felt his soft skin; how sensitive it was there. They travelled downwards, until they wrapped around something thick and hard.
On cue, Zel slipped his jeans and boxers off. Then he undid Ace’s belt.
“Don’t look at it, please,” Ace said, his voice low.
“All right, I won’t.” Zel kept his eyes on Ace’s face as he took him in one hand and braced himself against Ace’s thigh with the other.
The moment Ace was inside Zel, his jaw dropped and he gasped.
At that point, the record moved on to ‘Little Wing’.
With his hands on Ace’s shoulders, Zel moved up and down on him to the rhythm of the music. Slow, drawing it out. Ace closed his eyes, shivering. The sound of the guitars filled the room, making Ace’s kisses even more needy, fingers clawing at Zel’s shirt.
Now Zel was lost in Ace’s scent, the scent of rain during a thunderstorm. How it mixed with the scent of the candles and the sound of the music to make something indescribable.
And Ace was quickly losing the ability to speak, forgetting to cover his mouth and making those adorable girlish moans melt into Zel’s own mouth. He grabbed onto Zel’s shoulders and pushed him downwards, until Ace was lying back on the bed with Zel pinning him down.
Zel moved his hips in time with the rising and falling of Ace’s chest, riding over the notes as they wove their way around the two of them. It was as if Ace’s moans were part of the music now; they fit in perfectly with the instruments.
With one hand Zel felt the line of Ace’s collarbone under his shirt, and then moved his fingers downwards until it was flat across one of Ace’s pecs. He squeezed, and it was strong and firm. Ace gasped as he did so; his body must be so sensitive after never having been touched in his entire life. Zel’s fingers wandered over the contours of Ace’s muscles, Ace’s body trembling beneath him. As he did so, Ace tried to thrust his hips in time with Zel; Zel thought it rather interesting he hadn’t told Ace about that, so he must be doing it from instinct alone.
Every so often Zel would clench his muscles around Ace, and Ace would make the most delicious noise: it was high, sweet, and so desperate. It was music in and of itself. Zel couldn’t get enough of that noise, and he savoured it the way one might savour a bite of a sweet, ripe fruit.
He wondered what this must feel like for Ace; the light and the music and the smell and the pleasure. He watched Ace lie back on the pillow, now so overcome with pleasure that it replaced any of the awkwardness or embarrassment he had felt at the beginning of the evening.
And then Zel felt Ace tense up, and his eyes snapped open.
But Zel stroked Ace’s hair back in reassurance. “It’s all right, you’re going to come.”
Ace made no noise, only took a deep breath.
“Shh, it’s all right, come for me, Ace.”
Ace covered his mouth again as he came, failing to stifle the neediest moan he had made yet. Zel felt the hot seed inside him, and he rode up and down while Ace shuddered, looking as if he were almost unable to take the pleasure.
When it was over, Ace blinked. For a while he seemed unable to speak. Zel slid off him, keeping his eye fixed on the wall. He didn’t look down again until he heard Ace fumble with his belt.
Zel’s mission was done: Ace was well and truly corrupted.
After the record had finished and Zel had cleaned himself up, they lay together on the bed, Ace resting his head on Zel’s chest.
“I can’t believe nobody had told me about that before.” Ace said. “That was like… it was like recharging after having my power drained, only a million times better.”
Zel laughed. “Just wait until I tell you about all the ways you can spice it up.”
Ace sat up and stared at Zel. “What do you mean?”
“Not right now. Another time.” Zel put his hand on Ace’s shoulder and guided him back to lie down.
Perhaps when Ace needed to recover from saving the world, he would come to Zel again. Even the world’s heroes needed a day off every once in a while. Something told Zel that now Ace was corrupted, he wouldn’t be able to get enough of their evenings together.