Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ratio had requested assistance before coming, so there was an undercover IPC worker waiting for them outside the manor.

“We’ve already brought Dr. Fnickery to safety. The ship is just outside the city.” The worker stared at their blood-splattered faces with unconcealed horror. “Are any of your wounds severe? Can you last another system hour?”

“We’re fine,” Ratio huffed. He was surprised Aventurine wasn’t brushing it off with a light-hearted laugh, but then again… the man was still clinging to his arm, head lowered and subdued.

“Okay. Then please hurry into the vehicle.”

Helping Aventurine in first, Ratio entered from the other side – but once he’d sat down, he hesitated.

“Wait. I need to retrieve something.”

He asked for a detour back to the inn, where he grabbed the feline and their belongings. Then, he returned hastily to the vehicle, and without any further ado they rushed straight out of the city.

As soon as they entered the ship, workers swarmed over them. Ratio felt a pang of worry as he was pulled away from Aventurine, but the executive looked calm, at least on the outside. He was smiling again, and even managed a few chuckles as his subordinates reacted dramatically to his wounds.

“I’m fine. It’s not as bad as it looks. Haha! What’s with that, it’s not like I’m seriously hurt. Or are you worried that my pretty face will scar? That would be pretty tragic, I guess–”

A number of workers, mostly female, approached Ratio too, but he backed away from them with a dismissive wave.

“My injuries aren’t severe, what I need is a bath. One of you, show me to my quarters. The rest of you should find something better to do with your time.”

After exchanging several glances, one of them stepped forward. He gave them a nod of thanks and followed them down the hall, still glancing over his shoulder at Aventurine as he left.

He hadn’t been severely injured, but Ratio had been struck in the head, and his brain was still throbbing. He was also drenched in blood, and the stench was enough to make him nauseous. He would’ve loved nothing more than to soak in hot water for an hour and thoroughly cleanse himself… but he didn’t think he could go that long without checking on Aventurine.

It had only been three system minutes, and already he was starting to feel frantic.

Calm down.

Ratio sighed and forced himself to stay beneath the shower, watching as pink water streamed down his legs.

He’s fine. He’s probably got a dozen workers fawning over him right now, hoping to get a raise if they treat his injuries well.

Checking on him now would be meaningless. There wouldn’t be any room for Ratio to step in, anyway.

He told himself that, but then he remembered the sight of Aventurine’s bowed back, slashed over and over with humiliating red contusions.

And suddenly, ‘calm down’ didn’t feel like the logical thing to do.

“… Fuck…”

Cursing unconsciously under his breath, Ratio scrubbed the remaining blood frantically off of his skin, then turned off the water and staggered out.

He ran out of the room, still tying his bathrobe together. A female worker who had been walking by did a double take and turned remarkably red as he flew past.

Making an educated guess, Ratio found Aventurine’s room not far away. The door was closed, and it was silent.

Gritting his teeth, he took a calming breath and rapped the automated door with his fist.

“Gambler. It’s me.”

There was a long silence, and no answer.

Ratio frowned.

“Are you in there?”

 He waited a little longer. A pair of workers walked by behind him, staring openly, probably because he was still dripping bath water over the hallway. Ratio turned to them, ignoring their startled gasps.

“Is he in there?”

“M-Mr. Aventurine?” One of them managed to stammer. “He should be. We tried to send someone in with him to treat his wounds, but he refused to let anyone enter.”

A foreboding shudder ran through his chest. Huffing tersely, Ratio nodded at the workers in thanks, then turned back to the door and knocked again.

The entire door trembled beneath his fist.

“Open the damn door, Aventurine.” Ratio waited a few seconds before adding, “Or I’m going to break it open.”

No answer. It had only been ten seconds, but he had no patience left. He could hack the keypad, of course, but Ratio was in the mood for a physical solution.

He stepped back, grinding his knuckles into his palm, calculating the optimal angle and force with which he ought to punch the metal slab. Taking a deep breath, he winded up, about to seriously take a swing forward when – with a faint whirr, the door slid open.

Scoffing, Ratio relaxed his arm and slipped inside before Aventurine could change his mind.

He found the executive lying in bed, on top of the white blankets, his back to the door. He was still wearing the same clothes, and he didn’t turn or say anything at all as Ratio strode into the room.

“… Your wounds need to be cleaned.”

Ratio glanced around, grateful to see a box of medical supplies on the dresser. A worker must have left it here beforehand.

“I’m fine.” Aventurine’s voice was quiet, muffled. “… I’m just tired. I want to sleep.”

“If you don’t let me treat the wounds on your back, they will scar.” Ratio grabbed the supplies and sat down on the edge of the bed. “And then those people will have left another brand on you. Are you sure you want that?”

Ratio saw Aventurine’s lips tremble and press together in suppressed pain. He felt a pang of sorrow, but didn’t regret saying it. It was, after all, the truth.

Silently, Aventurine sat up. He kept his head lowered, face hidden beneath his messy bangs as he shifted over to the edge of the bed and began to unbutton his shirt.

While he did that, Ratio prepared some gauze and alcohol swabs. There was a floor mirror across from them, and he glanced at it to check on Aventurine’s face.

There was fresh blood on the young man’s face, and his cheeks were red and bruised. Recalling how Marcellund had repeatedly hit him, Ratio grit his teeth in fury.

He should have shot the man in the crotch. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t have been lethal enough, and he hadn’t wanted to waste any bullets.

Ah. He’d torn the gauze he was holding in half. Sighing, Ratio set it aside and opened another one.

“Let me clean your face first.” Shifting closer to Aventurine, Reached out a hand. “It’s still bleeding, and it must be painful–”

The instant his hand came close, Aventurine flinched away. He tensed up immediately after, shoulders scrunched and quivering.

“No,” he said quietly.

“… Alright.”

Holding in his sigh, Ratio pulled back. He waited for Aventurine to painstakingly take off the rest of his shirt, trying to stay composed as he assessed the wounds on his back.

Eighteen… nineteen… Aventurine must have taken somewhere around twenty whips. The red lines were excruciatingly vivid against his pale skin, and as Ratio thought about how he had been kissing this very same back a mere night ago, sharp pain wreaked his chest.

Fuck.

He cursed inwardly, but it wasn’t enough to ease the rage and frustration burning through his flesh.

The shirt was finally gone. Ratio lifted an alcohol-soaked swab to Aventurine’s shoulders, but remembering how the man had reacted earlier, paused to let him know first.

“I’m going to start. It will sting, speak up if you need a moment.”

“… Okay.”

Ratio glanced at the mirror. Most of Aventurine’s face was still hidden beneath his bangs, and his lips were expressionless.

He cleaned the wounds first, carefully clearing away all the dried blood, sweat, and sand. The alcohol must be burning, but Aventurine didn’t react at all. He was so still that if not for the faintest tremor of his diaphragm, Ratio might not have known he was even breathing.

How absurd, that his body reacted more violently to a raised hand than actual pain…

Ratio applied ointment next. He had been hyper-focused on cleaning Aventurine’s wounds earlier because it was a delicate and painful step, but the ointment ought to feel soothing, so Ratio was able to relax somewhat.

“… Why didn’t you tell me anything?”

He knew it wasn’t exactly a light topic, but Ratio had to ask. The pressure in his chest was becoming too agonizing to bear – he kept imagining how Aventurine must have felt, being forced to his knees in front of a man who had already hurt him in the past, and then being hurt even more.

Most people – no, most organisms in general – would learn from that kind of pain. They learned to avoid it, to not make the same mistake.

It was a methodology that Ratio had employed in the past, as a cure for certain kinds of idiocy. To grow, one must understand their own faults. And so, he would let them fall. He would watch them struggle, flounder, and curse until they calmed down enough to understand what it was they needed to do to save themselves.

But Aventurine… he never tried to save himself. Perhaps to him, suffering was normal. There was no ‘getting up’, no ‘better’… no way to ‘save’ himself.

Just smile. Close your eyes, and keep smiling.

He wondered if that was what Aventurine told himself as he fell deeper and deeper into his bottomless pit of despair.

Everything is fine.

Everything is fine.

Everything is fine.

It was a kind of stupidity that Ratio had yet to find a cure for.

Maybe that was why he felt so drawn to the young man… why, with Aventurine, and only Aventurine, Ratio couldn’t just stand by and watch.

Aventurine didn’t answer. Not expecting one, anyway, Ratio sighed and continued his frustrated monologue.

“I’ve said this before, and I mean it even more now. If we’re going to be partners, you need to trust me.”

“… There’s your answer.”

Aventurine’s murmur caught him by surprise. The long tirade Ratio prepared faded in his open mouth as he stared down at the man’s blonde waves.

“I know you think I’m an idiot, but have you seen yourself lately?” He scoffed, and his voice was eerily carefree. “This entire mission, have you done anything right?”

“If you hadn’t shown up, my plan would have gone smoothly. We would have left the city without a fuss, and you wouldn’t have had to know anything that happened.”

Aventurine lifted his head, finally revealing his expression. It gazed back at Ratio from the mirror, imbuing him with an icy sensation of shock.

The man was smiling.

Completely unperturbed by the blood still oozing over his face, Aventurine’s reflection gazed back at him with his familiar, artificial smirk.

“I didn’t trust you, Doctor. That’s why.”

Agony flooded his fingertips and spilled into the rest of his body. Unfamiliar, frigid, excruciating pain, the likes of which Ratio had never felt before. He stared into the mirror, and suddenly it felt as though Aventurine wasn’t right here beneath his hands, but there – behind the cold glass, unreachable, untouchable.

After everything they’d just gone through… they were back here, at the beginning?

No… even further?

“… Plan?”

The rasp dropped from his lips unconsciously. He could hear it trembling with a rage that he hadn’t even realized he’d been feeling.

“What plan…?”

His voice began to grow louder.

“Sacrifice yourself for Fnickery, then again just to get out alive? You think I would prefer not knowing anything, not doing anything, while you’re in there getting penetrated by a man whom you hate, whom you’re terrified of?”

A slight kink appeared in the brow of Aventurine’s reflection. “I’m not terrified of him–”

“Lies!”

His voice erupted so loudly that it shocked both of them into an immediate silence.

Ratio stared at Aventurine’s wide eyes in the mirror, stunned by his own roar. Swallowing down his shaky breaths, he tore his gaze away and looked down at his hands. He had been squeezing the metal ointment container, and it was now dented between his fingers.

Exhaling slowly, he mustered a sense of composure and resumed applying ointment to Aventurine’s back.

“… Regardless of whether or not it would’ve worked, your plan was too risky.” He kept his voice level this time, speaking nonchalantly.

“There would have been much better options if you factored me into the equation. But you didn’t consider me an asset at all. That’s not how you usually operate, is it, Mr. Aventurine?”

He glanced at Aventurine in the mirror, but the man’s expression hadn’t changed. He was still gazing back calmly, lips frozen in that faint smile.

Ratio wondered what it would take to break his façade.

“You’re the one who says that everyone is just a chip. So why won’t you use me?” 

“Didn’t I just say?” Aventurine scoffed airily. “I don’t trust you–”

“Lies.”

Aventurine stopped. The eyes of his reflection widened and shimmered with an unnatural gleam.

“What makes you think I’m lying?”

Ratio didn’t answer. He simply stared back, holding the reflection’s gaze, as they suffocated together in the unspoken yet obvious answer.

The gleam within Aventurine’s reflected eyes began to quiver. It grew brighter, then glistened, then manifested against his pale bottom lashes, welling over the vivid colours of his irises. His perfect smile trembled, and his brows twisted, and then… a single tear rolled down his cheek.

Abruptly, Aventurine flung out his hand, hurling a die at the mirror and shattering the glass into an explosion of glinting debris.

“Is this fun to you, Doctor?”

His voice shook beneath the shrill clatter of glass tumbling to the ground.

“Solving me, like a mathematical equation?”

He glanced back, finally, exposing his real face to Ratio. Moisture streamed across his wounded cheeks, and though Aventurine was still smiling, Ratio had never seen someone look so agonized.

“If I tell you that you’re right about everything, will you stop?”

Ratio stared down at him, speechless in shock.

It took him a moment to realize it – that the coldness creeping through his body, the pain, the loss of words... was different from the rage he’d felt earlier.

He had wanted Aventurine to be more honest, but he hadn’t expected… this.

“Fuck.”

Sniffling, Aventurine tried to smear his tears away, only to cringe as his fingers disturbed the wounds on his face. His lips curled, revealing his gritted teeth, and he ended up covering his face with both hands.

“Fuck!”

 Carefully, Ratio pulled away. He rose to his feet, walked in front of Aventurine, and knelt down. The young man averted his head with a terse huff, but Ratio continued gazing intently at him.

Ratio reached upwards and gently brushed their hands together. Aventurine immediately flinched, but didn’t pull away more than that, and after a moment of held breath, Ratio grabbed his hand and pulled it carefully away from his face.

“… I also had a plan that I kept from you,” he admitted.

Aventurine’s breathing stilled. He seemed surprised, and after a moment, he sniffled and grudgingly met Ratio’s gaze.

His eyes were still glossy with moisture, and his tears were mixed with blood, but he looked less shaken now. Ratio’s confession served as a distraction, and seemed to be calming him down. Uttering a relieved sigh, Ratio reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair away from his cheek.

“But not intentionally – I simply didn’t have the time nor the means to tell you.”

Speaking in a calm but reassuring murmur, Ratio tore open an alcohol swab and took the opportunity to tend to Aventurine’s face.

“I was trying to find a way to fix the Propagation bullets from the very beginning. From the moment I entered the room.”

Aventurine’s eyes widened. His brows lifted in surprise, then scrunched up in agitation.

“Yes. As soon as I realized you were gone, I rushed straight to the manor, intending to offer my intellectual services in exchange for your freedom. I just… underestimated your situation somewhat.”

Ratio sighed, closing his eyes as he had to pause and suppress his frustration. It took a few seconds, but he managed to overcome the rending ache and take a deep breath.

Still working diligently on Aventurine’s wounds, he discarded a blood-soaked alcohol swab, opened a new one, and lifted it up to Aventurine’s forehead. This time, the man didn’t flinch.

“I knew they would try to kill me. And I knew you would propose a game of roulette.”

Aventurine’s brows dipped again, this time in indignant disbelief. Ratio couldn’t help but utter a faint chuckle.

“Fnickery’s notes had given me some ideas, but I needed a better understanding of how the Propagation remains actually functioned within the context of a weapon. The seven shots fired in that game of roulette provided me with critical information… especially the last one.”

“You…” Aventurine’s voice was so hoarse when he finally tried to speak that it was barely understandable. Flushing, he coughed and tried again. “You knew he would cheat?”

Ratio smiled forlornly. “I knew it was a high probability.”

“What would you have done if I hadn’t protected you?” Aventurine’s voice was sharp in dismay. He seemed to have completely forgotten his earlier act as he grabbed Ratio’s wrist and shook it angrily. “What if my abilities hadn’t come back yet, and I couldn’t shield you even if I tried? You would have died! You realize that, right?!”

“I needed to experience the shockwave one more time to reach a conclusion.” Shaking his wrist free, Ratio enveloped his hand around Aventurine’s instead, squeezing the man’s cold fingers within his palm. He gazed into Aventurine’s eyes, steadying his restlessness with a reassuring murmur. “I knew you wouldn’t let me die.”

If that doesn’t prove that I trust you… I don’t know what will.

“I… you…”

Aventurine seemed genuinely at a loss for words. Ratio couldn’t help but feel a bubble of warm amusement as he watched the young man fumble in front of him.

Giving up on trying to say anything, Aventurine uttered a loud sigh and lowered his head, pressing his forehead gingerly against their intertwined hands. He remained like that for a moment, his breaths deep and steady, but a little too loud to be natural.

“… Wait…”

A couple huffs in, Aventurine narrowed his eyes and glanced at Ratio in sudden scrutiny.

“So you really figured out what was wrong with those bullets?” He pulled away and started patting down his pant pockets, as though searching for his phone. “We need to report this. Those weapons are dangerous, the IPC will want to–”

“I solved the problem,” Ratio interrupted, grabbing his hand and gesturing for him to wait. “But I didn’t fix it. I deliberately substituted a substance in the catalyst that slowly reacts with the gunpowder. They’ll work for about an hour, but by now, the chemicals will have gone through multiple chain reactions. Not only is the catalyst that I created useless, every bullet that they added it to will also have disintegrated.”

“Wow.” Aventurine scoffed incredulously. “I can see why the IPC finds you valuable.”

Allowing himself a faint smile, Ratio gave the blonde a meaningful look.

“I’d like it if you found me valuable, too.”

A shadow flickered through Aventurine’s eyes, and for a moment it looked like he might pull away. But as Ratio held his breath and maintained his gaze with resolute conviction, Aventurine hesitated.

He relaxed, slightly, and ended up thinking for a long time.

“… I do.”

Aventurine averted his gaze abashedly, his voice quiet and hoarse.

“But as much as I like a high-stakes game, there are some things I don’t want to gamble.”

Ratio raised an eyebrow in faint surprise. “I never thought I’d ever hear the Aventurine admit that there’s a risk he’s too scared to take.”

Flushing, Aventurine jerked his head away. “Don’t twist my words!” But as the alcohol dripped into his wounds and Ratio growled irritably at him, he cringed and sat obediently still again.

Ratio hastily patted the excess alcohol away, and they both shared a moment of silence. Aventurine’s expression slowly but surely transformed into an almost childish pout, and he eventually confessed in a grudging mumble.

“Perhaps… I do find you a bit too valuable.”

“I’m honoured,” Ratio mused. He was, of course, quite giddy from hearing it out loud – and from seeing such an adorably rare expression on Aventurine’s face – but he didn’t want to agitate the young man any further. The wounds on his face were worse than they seemed, and he didn’t want Aventurine to feel any more unnecessary pain.

Instead, he mustered what he hoped was a calm and reasonable voice.

“But think of it this way, gambler. Using me as a chip also increases the odds in your favour.” He tilted his head at Aventurine. “In that case, it’s not a bad play, right?”

A glow spread through Aventurine’s face, restoring some of the colour to his skin as his lips twitched into a crooked grin.

“I don’t need you teaching me how to gamble, Doctor.”

Ratio chuckled. “Game theory is actually quite a sophisticated topic. Perhaps we should have an in-depth discussion on it one day, it’d be nice to have an educational conversation with you for once.”

Aventurine scoffed. Discarding a last bloodied alcohol swab, Ratio reached for the ointment with a sigh.

“But another time. You’ve been through enough today. Let me finish cleaning your wounds, and then I’ll leave you to rest.”

He continued his treatment, mostly in silence this time. Aventurine did seem really tired, and Ratio wasn’t exactly brimming with energy, either. His mind gradually turned off, the rest of his body succumbing to well-practiced routine as he smudged ointment against Aventurine’s wounds.

Most of the blood had come from the cut on his forehead, where Marcellund had struck him with his gun. It had stopped bleeding now, but Ratio paused to scowl at it, debating if it needed stitches. Stitches would increase the risk of infection, but without them, the wound might scar… and he really didn’t like the thought of that.

He thought about it deeply, not noticing Aventurine’s attention turning curiously towards him until the blonde actually spoke.

“… What about you?” Aventurine asked in a soft murmur.

Stirring vaguely, Ratio glanced down at him with no idea what he was talking about.

Aventurine seemed to enjoy his look of bewilderment. He managed a breathless chortle and tried to elaborate.

“You’re hurt, too. Did you have anyone look at your injuries?”

“I will take care of them myself, once I’m done with you,” Ratio said dismissively. Not stitching it would be better, he decided with a heavy sigh. As long as they keep the wound clean and unbothered, they should be able to prevent it from scarring…

“You’re sure?”

A bit surprised by his persistence, Ratio glanced back again. Aventurine stared at him, and there was an unfamiliar light in his irises – a glitter that Ratio had never seen before.

He was… worried?

Ratio blinked. Worry was an extremely common emotion amongst humans, so it took him a moment to understand why he was surprised.

Aventurine was worried. About him.

“I…” Ratio’s tongue suddenly felt thick and clumsy. It took a few tries for him to say anything coherent. “I’ll… make sure they get looked at, after. A-Anyway, my wounds aren’t as serious as yours,” he added in a grumble.  

“… Alright,” Aventurine agreed softly.

… Ugh.

Ratio pressed his lips together. His heart was suddenly pounding. It was pumping blood through his body more desperately than when he’d been at gunpoint. He didn’t know why it suddenly felt the need to fill him with so much vitality, but it was starting to make his hand shake.

Taking a deep breath, Ratio finished up with the ointment application, then moved on to bandaging the open wounds. He stuck gauze onto Aventurine’s forehead and the more bruised part of his cheeks, then stood up abruptly – and nearly fainted.

Blood rushed out of his brain, slamming his vision with a million grey stars. Grabbing onto the nearest solid thing, Ratio grabbed his face and huffed until he had recovered from the nausea.

“You sure you don’t need a doctor, Doctor?”

Aventurine’s voice was thick with amusement. A little irritably, Ratio lowered his hand from his face and realized he’d grabbed onto the man’s outstretched arm.

He let go immediately, wary of disturbing any wounds, but Aventurine didn’t seem to mind. The young man grinned back, not in a fake expressionless way, but with genuine glee.

Ratio’s face stung with warmth. Self-conscious, he grabbed the soiled wipes leftover from Aventurine’s treatment and went to throw them away with a mutter.

“I’m fine. It was just headrush.”

And a few other belated rushes, probably, but Aventurine didn’t need to know that.

The litter bin was by the door, and Ratio stayed there instead of returning to the bed. As he sighed and opened his mouth to excuse himself, Aventurine’s eyes widened in realization.

“Well then, I’ll–”

“Stay.”

Aventurine interrupted him without hesitation. His hand, resting against the blankets, curled into a fist and gripped the white sheets – but that was the only sign of his anxiety.

“… Alright,” Ratio heard himself say, before his brain had even agreed to it.

But if he’d ever intended to say no, the relief that flooded Aventurine’s expression immediately erased the thought.

He returned to the bed and sat down, beside Aventurine, with a slight gap in their shoulders.

They were quiet. Ratio didn’t know what else to say, and for some reason, Aventurine wasn’t breaking the silence, either. He couldn’t feel the usual line, and without it, the space between them felt like a vacuum, constantly sucking him in, forcing him to fight for balance.

His chest was starting to hurt. Was it because of his pounding heart? Or because he’d forgotten to breathe again? Ratio forced himself to inhale, and the resulting rush of air left him feeling light-headed.

This was no good. His sanity couldn’t survive this strange silence any longer. Deciding to blurt out the first thing that came to mind, Ratio opened his mouth.

At the same time Aventurine also spoke, too.

“You should–”

“So you–”

Their voices crashed and tumbled together into an awkward pause. Warily, Ratio waited for Aventurine to go first, but when he didn’t say anything, he opened his mouth and tried again.

“You–”

“So–”

Ratio lifted a hand to his face and released an aggravated sigh. Beside him, Aventurine burst out laughing, his bright – albeit quite pained – chortles scattering around them like sparkles.

Deciding to wait, Ratio remained silent this time, watching with a disgruntled frown as Aventurine’s laughter trailed off into piqued gasps.

“Haha…! Ow…”

“You were saying?” Ratio asked warily.

“I was saying,” Aventurine huffed, his voice still breathless with amusement. “The catalyst you made, it’ll destroy the whole bullet?”

“Yes.” Ratio wasn’t sure why he was asking about this again, but it was an easy thing to talk about, so he went along with it. “The substance I chose ultimately produces a chemical that reacts with the gunpowder to dissolve metal.”

“So theoretically, if you didn’t swap out that substance, we’d have a working catalyst.”

Ratio glanced over at the man, meeting Aventurine’s innocent gaze with a wary frown.  “What are you getting at?”

Smiling crookedly, Aventurine reached over and pulled back a corner of the blankets.

Hidden beneath them, in stark contrast to the pure white sheets, was the gun Ratio had taken – and a handful of gold bullets.

“You did not–” Ratio growled, but Aventurine was already laughing brightly.

“Oh come on! The IPC would have so many uses for these, think of the promotion we’d get!”

“The promotion you’d get,” Ratio said irritably. “I’d rather dung be used for its intended purpose – fertilizer.”

Shit, Aventurine must have slipped the gun from him at some point… he hadn’t even noticed. He must have pocketed those bullets in advance, too. Had he been planning this from the start?

This damned gambler… he truly was a Stoneheart.

“Aww…” Aventurine leaned close, bumping their shoulders together. But when Ratio sat rigidly without responding, he lifted his arms and wrapped them around him in a hug, cooing pitifully. “Please…? For me…?”

Staring resolutely ahead, Ratio grunted. “No. And I won’t change my answer, so you can stop there. Don’t waste your energy, you need it to recover.”

“Really?” Still whining persistently, Aventurine leaned closer, trailing his hand lower along Ratio’s bathrobe. “There’s nothing I can do that’ll make you change your mind?”

Sliding beneath the single sash tying his bathrobe together, Aventurine’s fingers slid onto his bare thigh, leaving a cold and tingly trail along his skin. His voice, soft and silky again, brushed against Ratio’s lips, taunting his sanity with skillful ease.

“Nothing I can trade you… nothing that you want from me…?”

Closing his eyes in an effort to resist, Ratio muttered tersely, “I’ll happily pound you to oblivion if that’s what you’re getting at, but I’m not going to help you arm an organization full of trigger-happy idiots.”

There was a slight pause and Ratio tensed, bracing himself for more – but when Aventurine spoke, it was only to sigh forlornly.

“Fine…”

His warmth faded, and Ratio opened his eyes to see the young man collecting the gun and bullets from the bed, packing them safely in a bag instead.

“Guess I’ll just tuck this away somewhere…”

Releasing his held breath in faint relief, Ratio added, “On that note, let’s leave some details out of our debrief.”

“Don’t worry, I know.” Returning to the bed with a calm smile, Aventurine came up to Ratio and – despite his wary frown – enveloped him in a second hug.

“I wouldn’t want the IPC taking you away from me now, would I? After all, you’re my partner.”

“Oh, am I now?” Ratio said wryly, lifting a hand to the back of Aventurine’s head and patting him there. He would have reciprocated the embrace properly, but he was being mindful of Aventurine’s wounded back.

Aventurine pulled away with a playful chortle. “Aw, don’t be cold.” He bumped their noses together and let their lips brush, but pulled away just enough to resist Ratio’s instinctive attempt to kiss him.

“How many times already have we fucked?” he whispered, eyes narrowing in glee as Ratio glared threateningly back at him. “Go on, partner, think about it. How many times have you made me scream your name in ecstasy…? How many times have you filled me with your cum…? How many times have I passed out beneath you, mind-broken and covered in your seed…?”

“Forgive me,” Ratio muttered thickly, “But I can’t tell if that’s supposed to make me feel special.”

Aventurine pulled away with an incredulous laugh.

“Wow, you really think I’m just the universe’s cum dump, don’t you?”

A little guiltily, Ratio averted his gaze. “That’s… not what I said.”

But Aventurine didn’t seem bothered. He waved his hand dismissively and sat down beside Ratio – this time, with their shoulders pressed intimately together.

“It’s alright, I get it. I’ll spell it out for you then, Doctor.” Snapping a finger in front of Ratio, Aventurine declared happily.

“You’re special.”

It was so matter-of-fact, so blithe, so easily spoken, that Ratio almost didn’t register what he’d really said. He sat there for a moment, glaring at Aventurine’s fingers in lingering irritation, before it hit him.

Heat rushed to his face, while ice shot through his brain. Ratio felt his lips tremble, his eyes widen, his cheeks tense. He didn’t know what kind of expression had forced itself onto his face, and he was glad that Aventurine was too busy rambling to look over and notice.

“Most people aren’t interested in making me feel good, you know. Sure, I offer special favors, the occasional night together, but that’s just work.” Aventurine shrugged. “You know what ‘work’ is, right? It’s smiling at people you don’t like. The stuff I do with you, that’s not work. It’s more like work relief.”  

By then, Ratio had managed to regain control of his facial muscles somewhat, though his cheeks still felt quite hot.

Then, Aventurine threw him a cheeky grin, and his face became three times hotter. Irked, Ratio lifted his gaze to the ceiling and fought the urge to put on his plaster mask. He had a feeling that would only give him away…

“Remember the first time we did it? When I was just teasing you, thinking you were some uptight virgin who’d never give in?”

Ratio huffed irritably at the memory. “I wasn’t giving in. I was teaching you a lesson. You shouldn’t go around making those kinds of offers without thinking about the consequences.”

“Haha!” Aventurine laughed brightly. “Right, Dr. Ratio, the healer of idiocy. You sure taught me a lesson, alright.”

A hand planted itself on Ratio’s thigh, startling him so much that he looked over – at the same time Aventurine leaned in.

His breath cut short. The young man’s lips were millimeters from his, and they twisted in a smug grin as Aventurine whispered to him.

“I learned that I need you, Doctor. That was the first time I’ve ever felt that good.”

“A slight understatement,” Ratio heard himself mutter without thinking. “You came as soon as I entered you. Even I was surprised.”

“Right?” Aventurine exclaimed through chortles. “You took so long preparing me, by the time you finally put it in, I was already – mm…”

Unable to resist any longer, Ratio pushed their lips together. Aventurine trailed off with a pleased mumble, wholeheartedly kissing him back, arms wrapping around his shoulders and twining through his hair.

Overcome with desire, Ratio lifted his hands, only to hesitate, not sure what he could grab. Aventurine’s entire back was injured, and his face was bruised, too. Disgruntled, he growled into their kiss, and Aventurine replied with a musing whimper. He let go of Ratio’s hair and grabbed one of his hands instead, twining their fingers together as he deepened their kiss with a shaky huff.

… Ugh…

A wave of agony – or bliss, Ratio couldn’t tell – radiated from their intertwined hands. He could hear his breath trembling as he kissed back with all his might.

His mind had gone blank, and he didn’t realize how forceful he was getting until he felt Aventurine cringe. Realizing that he’d nearly shoved the blonde onto the bed in his fervor, Ratio stopped and pulled away with a ragged huff.

Echoing his heavy pants, Aventurine gazed at him with hazy eyes and a delighted grin. Still struggling for composure, Ratio glared back and muttered.

“Is that why I’ve been your favourite lately?”

Aventurine’s eyes widened in surprise, as though he hadn’t expected Ratio to still be hung up on that. Chuckling softly, he leaned forward and nuzzled his nose against Ratio’s with a gentle purr.

“You have always been my only favourite, Ratio.”

 … Whatever happiness Ratio had felt in his life up til now paled in comparison to euphoria suddenly rushing through his body. He stared at Aventurine, utterly awestruck, and saw surprise creep into the young man’s face as he blinked cluelessly back.

“… Huh? Wait, what did you think I’d say–”

Snapping, Ratio lunged forward. He distinctly remembered sliding an arm under Aventurine and pulling the man close so that his injured back wouldn’t smash into the mattress all at once – but that was about all the sanity he could manage.

In the next instant, Ratio had trapped the blonde beneath him and was fervently untying his own bathrobe with one hand. He tried to kiss Aventurine, too, but the young man was laughing so hard that he never managed to make it stick, and after several clumsy attempts, Ratio gave up with an annoyed growl.

Still chortling, Aventurine gasped breathlessly.

“That was an incredible look on your face just now, Doctor! I didn’t know you were capable of making that kind of face.”

“What kind of face?” Ratio muttered, frowning as he became self-conscious of Aventurine’s fascinated stare.

Grinning, Aventurine reached up with both hands and gently cupped his face.

“You looked happy.”

Turning towards his hands, Ratio kissed his palm and whispered, “I am.”

Aventurine’s hand twitched in surprise, and a lovely pink hue abruptly washed over his face as he let out a scattered chuckle.

“Haha… it’s not often I do that to you, Doctor.”

“Indeed,” Ratio declared, straightening and pulling open his robe. He gazed down at Aventurine, watching as the man’s pupils dilated in instant arousal, his vivid irises reflecting the dark mass that was now rearing towards his face. “And now you have to deal with the consequences.”

“Ooh…” Expression sweetening with glee, Aventurine sat up and reached for him, licking his lips in anticipation. “Don’t worry… I will…”

Holding his breath, Ratio carefully remained still as he watched Aventurine gently kiss his tip. The man took his time, sliding his tongue along the mass and lathering it thoroughly in his saliva. His hair fell forward, brushing over his bandaged face and sticking against his wet lips, and without thinking, Ratio reached down and brushed it aside.

He ended up pushing Aventurine’s bangs all the way behind his ears and then sliding his fingers deeper, gently cradling the less injured side of his head. Aventurine’s gaze flickered up to him, locking in with his own, and Ratio felt a terse huff escape his lips as strange heat rippled through his groin.

It manifested as a visible throb. Eyes narrowing in amusement, Aventurine parted his lips and, gazing meaningfully at Ratio, sank the mass into his mouth.

“… Hah…”

Ratio panted and lifted his other hand to Aventurine’s head, brushing more of his hair back as his bobbing motions sent strands falling towards his wounds.

“Mind your… injuries…”

Aventurine pulled back, his lips slowly sliding along the entire length of Ratio’s erection. He could see the glistening trail of saliva left behind, and feel the pressure squeezing down on his veins. Aventurine’s lips clamped tightly around him the entire time, sliding all the way down to his tip and smooching him loudly before pulling away. A strand of milky saliva dangled from the center of his mouth, and Ratio grunted as the sight triggered a wild pang in his body.

“Who are you talking to? Me, or you?” Aventurine whispered, smirking knowingly as he licked up the remnant fluid.

“… I don’t know…” Ratio muttered, closing his eyes and groaning quietly as Aventurine’s tongue slid beneath him. He didn’t usually make this much noise, but he was in a strange state… everything felt so much more intense, so much more unbearable. As he blinked down at Aventurine, his vision spun and blurred, causing him to tighten his grip on the young man’s head in an instinctive attempt to hold on to something.

Aventurine glanced up at him, lips deep along the dark length of his erection, and his questioning gaze sent a ripple of exhilarating bliss through Ratio’s groin.

Grimacing, Ratio pulled away, yanking himself out of Aventurine’s mouth and making him gasp in surprise.

“Huh…?” Aventurine uttered a confused huff, saliva spilling over his mouth. “Did I bite you…?”

“No,” Ratio muttered, leaning down and nudging him back onto the bedsheets with a hasty kiss. “You’re good.”

“Ah…” Aventurine’s expression glazed over in realization as Ratio reached down and began to unbuckle his belt. While his pants were taken off, he reached out and brushed his fingers against Ratio’s erection, as though reluctant to leave it alone for even a moment.

Bloated and riled up by his unintentional teasing, Ratio tore Aventurine’s pants off his ankle and threw it somewhere behind him. He planted himself over the man with a dark huff and pushed their lips together for a brief, messy kiss, just to keep himself satiated while he performed some necessary preparations.

Sliding his hand beneath Aventurine’s thigh, he lifted the blonde’s leg over his shoulder and moved his fingers inwards, watching dazedly as Aventurine’s pretty face scrunched up in an alluring cringe. His finger brushed over the familiar hot, soft skin of his sensitive parts and dipped into his pucker, which immediately kissed him and pulled him inwards in eager greeting.

“… Wait…”

Ratio huffed groggily, remembering his wounds with a start. Lowering Aventurine’s leg, he grabbed the man’s hips and gestured for him to roll onto his stomach.

“Your back… we should do this in a different position.”

“Huh…?” Sounding too groggy to understand, Aventurine let Ratio flip him over. His knees skidded apart in the blankets and he pushed his hands forward in a cat-like stretch, sighing happily as his back dipped in a deep arch.

Thoroughly aroused, Ratio grinded himself against Aventurine’s buttocks. It was only then that the blonde seemed to realize what Ratio had meant, and he glanced over his shoulder with a musing purr.

“Ohh, I see… you want to mount me like an animal, how naughty, Doctor…”

Flushing, Ratio thrusted between his thighs and growled. “I don’t want to aggravate your wounds.”

“Haha…” Aventurine squirmed playfully against him, but then rose to his knees and leaned back, arching himself against Ratio’s torso. He lifted an arm and hooked it around Ratio’s head, dragging their lips together as he whispered. “That’s kind of you and all, but I want to see your face, Ratio… I want to watch your handsome self break down in ecstasy as you come inside me…”

His mind was whirling like crazy. Unable to resist, Ratio slid his hands onto Aventurine’s torso and rubbed his palm against the young man’s smooth abdomen and perked nipples. Aventurine moaned softly and arched his back, and Ratio replied with a similar low huff, injecting it deep into the blonde’s ear and enjoying the resulting shudder that rippled through his body.

But then Aventurine’s upper back chafed against his chest, and Ratio felt the young man tense up in a cringe. Taking a deep breath, Ratio forced himself to let go, placing his hands on an injured part of Aventurine’s shoulders and pushing him back down.

“Your wounds are higher priority,” he declared thickly, grabbing Aventurine by the hips and grinding the young man firmly against him.

“Nooo…” Aventurine grabbed the bedsheets with a mock whine of protest. “No, I don’t want to be fucked like a dog… let me be on top, at least…!”

“No,” Ratio huffed irritably. “You shouldn’t be exerting yourself right now–”

He broke off, startled, as Aventurine twisted himself free and turned. He caught a glimpse of the man’s vivid irises hurtling towards him – and then Ratio was flat on his back in the bedsheets, huffing breathlessly up at Aventurine’s smug grin.

“Hehehe…” With a malicious chortle, Aventurine spread his legs over his abdomen and rubbed his buttocks back against Ratio’s erection. “Too bad, Doctor, I’m not as weak as you think I am.”

“… I never thought you were weak,” Ratio grumbled, lifting his hands to Aventurine’s thighs and guiltily enjoying the sensation of his fingers dipping into the soft flesh. “If you insist, then I won’t stop you.”

“What a sore loser,” Aventurine purred tauntingly, leaning forward and planting his hands imposingly on either side of Ratio’s head. He was probably trying to look intimidating, but Ratio was too distracted by the sight of his nipples dangling right above him to think about anything else. “You couldn’t stop me even if you wanted to.”

“… Well I don’t want to,” Ratio mumbled, without thinking. He was starting to salivate… he unconsciously prayed Aventurine would lean closer. Just a little closer, and he could–

Aventurine straightened with a triumphant chuckle. Disappointed, Ratio frowned at him and struggled to swallow his excess saliva. He was so caught up in fantasizing what could have happened, imagining the sweet sound of Aventurine’s startled cry as he suddenly clamped down on those little buds, that Ratio didn’t realize what the blonde was doing – not until he felt a sharp pain in his tip.

“Ngh–” He grunted, at the same time Aventurine let out a pained yelp. Grabbing Aventurine by the waist, Ratio pulled him off with an angry growl.

“What the hell are you doing? You need to be prepared first.”

Whining impatiently, Aventurine tried to wiggle his hips back down. “No need–”

“Are you insulting me?” Ratio snapped. “You can’t seriously think I’ll fit inside you.”

Aventurine looked down, as though double checking the size of Ratio’s erection. He paused there for a moment, then grew limp against Ratio’s stomach with a trembling mumble.

“Urgh…”

His face, when he lifted his head, was completely flushed.

“F-Fine…”

Sighing, Ratio gestured for him to turn over. “Turn around.”

Aventurine blinked at him in wary confusion. “Why?”

Ratio had already stuffed his fingers in his mouth, so he could only spare a condescending eyebrow-raise.

Isn’t it obvious?

That seemed to be enough of a hint. Turning an extra shade redder, Aventurine protested.

“I-It’s fine, I can do it myself–”

Exasperated, Ratio pulled his fingers out of his mouth and grabbed the young man’s hips. “As if you’ll do a sufficient job.” He dragged Aventurine around, pulling the blonde’s buttocks up to his face while Aventurine uttered flustered gasps and squirmed in half-hearted protest.

“Why are you acting like this?” Ratio asked, more confused than irked as he began to prod at the blonde’s pink pucker with his fingers. “It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve done this for you.”

Aventurine had stopped struggling now, but he was resolutely facing away, his head lowered and shoulders trembling, red all the way down to his shoulders.

“I’m embarrassed,” he mumbled.

“Hoh,” Ratio scoffed in wry disbelief. “Since when was shame in your repertoire of emotions?”

“Since meeting you – ah!”

Aventurine broke off with a startled yelp as Ratio’s erection twitched violently into his cheek. He grabbed the mass at the base, laughing incredulously, and Ratio uttered a flustered growl as he struggled to contain the heat exploding across his own face.

“Haha! Who’s the embarrassed one now?!” 

Annoyed, but unable to retort, Ratio instead shoved a finger forward. He had already massaged the pucker into a gooey, relaxed state, so he was able to plunge surprisingly deep without any resistance.

“Ah–!” Aventurine stiffened up with a startled gasp, then groaned shakily and gradually relaxed. As Ratio continued to work diligently on his rear, his elbows began to tremble, and he eventually lowered himself, sinking his chin into Ratio’s pubic hair with a soft moan. That put his face up against Ratio’s erection, and though he didn’t touch it, Ratio could feel his warm gasps brushing up against him.

He continued until he could squeeze in three fingers, but Aventurine was still tight. Lube would have been optimal, but he didn’t think there was any in this room, and neither of them were in any state to leave. Aventurine was leaking precum onto his throat, and probably drooling into his pubic hair, too. He could feel a ticklish moisture trailing down into his warmer parts, and it was really fraying at his sanity. At this rate, Ratio might climax from being breathed on…

Good enough.

With a grudging huff, Ratio pulled out his fingers and slapped the blonde lightly on the buttocks, gesturing that he was free to go.

“Hmm…?” Mumbling groggily, Aventurine glanced over his shoulder, as though not understanding why he’d stopped.

Ratio raised an eyebrow and scoffed. “What happened to being the victor? Or would you rather I ‘mount you like an animal’ and ‘fuck you like a dog’?”

“Oh!” Eyes widening in sudden realization, Aventurine scrambled away. He seated himself against Ratio’s erection and raised his hips over the throbbing beast, locking eyes with Ratio as he announced smugly.

“Hehehe, prepared to be mind-blown all over again, Doct – ngh!”

The instant he fell, Aventurine seized up with a coy yelp, plunging himself haphazardly deep as gravity shoved him down. His head tossed back and his throat quivered wildly with shrill gasps as his body locked down in an instant orgasm.

His insides quivered wildly around Ratio, and the convulsions were so powerful that they rippled visibly across his stomach. Grimacing, Ratio grabbed Aventurine’s hips and struggled to even breathe as he was bombarded with stimulation that was far too intense for his first ten seconds inside.

“Ugh, you…!”

“Ah… ahhh… haha…!” As his climax subsided, Aventurine’s moans turned into breathless laughs. He looked at Ratio with tears of elation brimming in his eyes… then raised his trembling hips… and began to move.

“Ghh…” Ratio grimaced, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth as Aventurine grinded his still-vibrating insides up and down against him. “You… are you sure you can still…? Hah…” He trailed off, giving up as pleasure distorted his voice.

Aventurine wasn’t listening, anyway… he was rocking his hips up and down, eyes closed in bliss and hair flying all over his face from his vigorous movements.

Whatever shame he had felt earlier had completely vanished, now… Aventurine spread his legs as he moved, baring his flushed thighs completely before Ratio, his erection flinging goo everywhere as it flopped up and down against his abdomen.

“Ah… hah…!”

He didn’t hold back his voice, either… thick with ecstasy, it echoed loudly around them, lewd and out-of-place within the plain white walls. Ratio hoped the room was soundproof… there were a lot of subordinates on this ship.

“Ah… ahnn…”

Ratio had been doubtful, but Aventurine was surprisingly energetic… he lasted quite a while in that frantic pace before he began to slow down, pale body glistening with sweat.

“Hah… hahh…”

After a couple more thrusts, Aventurine came to a pause. He sat on Ratio, breathing heavily, impaled all the way to the hilt. Ratio could feel his walls clenching with every breath, and as his own erection pulsed demandingly inside him, Aventurine cringed and uttered a forlorn laugh.

“Haha… just a… sec…”

Growling impatiently, Ratio sat up. Ignoring Aventurine’s whine of protest, he enveloped the blonde in his arms, grabbing Aventurine’s buttocks as he began to guide their bodies together in slow, deep grinds.

“Mm…”

They couldn’t move very much in this position, but they could kiss, and they did a lot of that. Ratio did most of the leading, moving Aventurine’s body for him and grinding his own hips upwards, locking their bodies intimately together as they kissed until their lips were swollen. His hands could completely cover Aventurine’s buttocks, and as Ratio squeezed the little bundles of flesh in feral delight, Aventurine broke away from the kiss with a coy mewl.

“Mmn–”

 Huffing thickly, Ratio leaned forward and burrowed himself into the young man’s nape. He bared his teeth against Aventurine’s throat, biting down gently and then lapping at the resulting mark. He repeated that until he had littered the blonde’s entire neck with bruises, completely disfiguring the brand on his neck.

Aventurine moaned shakily, hugging Ratio’s head as he was battered with gentle but possessive gestures.

“Aventurine…” Ratio panted headily, brushing their lips together and kissing him deeply. He pulled away to breathe, and murmured his name again before reconnecting their lips. Aventurine quivered and uttered a shy-sounding whimper, and Ratio repeated himself with increased fervor.

“Aventurine…”

“… Don’t…” Aventurine panted shrilly, cringing away from his lips this time. His face was flushed an intense shade of scarlet, and it was worsened only by his wounds. “S-Stop… calling my name… like that…”

Amused, and not understanding the pattern in which his shame surfaced, Ratio nuzzled their lips together and whispered again.

“Aventurine.”

“Ratio!” Aventurine yelped and yanked indignantly on Ratio’s hair, but his insides clamped down with a wet squelch, betraying his true feelings.

“What?” Ratio huffed musingly. “Is this another case of, ‘feels too good’ again?”

“I… hngh…” Aventurine averted his gaze, his voice shrill in uncharacteristic timidness. “I feel… funny…”

“Funny how?” Ratio murmured, rocking Aventurine’s hips steadily against him and groaning softly as moisture oozed onto his lap. Ah… was it his imagination, or had Aventurine’s insides gotten extra hot…? “Funny good? Funny bad?”

“I… I don’t know…” Aventurine stammered, turning his head back and forth as though trying to hide. But they were too close in this position, almost every inch of their torsos literally pressed together. There wasn’t a single part of him that Ratio couldn’t see or touch.

“Hmm… now you’ve got me intrigued…”

Tightening his grip on Aventurine’s buttocks, Ratio leaned forward and positioned his lips against the blonde’s flushed ears.

“Tell me how this feels,” he whispered, before digging himself all the way in… as deep as he could go, and even then, further… until his pubic hair was being pulled into Aventurine’s pucker and his tip was kissing new, untouched walls.

… And at the same time, moaning in a low, hoarse voice, directly into the young man’s ear.

“… Aventurine…”

“… Hahngh…!”

A strange sound, like a pant that sharpened into a disbelieving cry, rose above them. The heat around Ratio quivered once, then collapsed, exploding into slow, intense convulsions around him.

Surprised, despite himself – he hadn’t quite expected that – Ratio uttered a strained but incredulous chuckle.

“Hah…!”

He tried to say more, but the quakes were too much, and his voice faded into a groan. Giving in to the pleasure for now, Ratio groaned and waited for Aventurine’s climax to end.

It lasted longer, this time, but it was gentler, too. By the time Aventurine’s insides had relaxed again, the young man was completely coated in sweat, and his breathing was trembly and ragged.

“Ah… hah…”

Pulling away slightly, Ratio met his numb, ravished gaze and smiled.

“Seems like it was a good kind of funny.”

“… Ugh…” Some trace of awareness flickered through Aventurine’s irises, and he glared back with a shaky, indignant huff. “D… Damnit, Ratio…”

Unable to resist a second chuckle, Ratio kissed him on the nose. Then, holding Aventurine still by the buttocks, he began to slowly pull out.

“… Ngh…!”

Aventurine cringed and uttered a coy whimper as the mass slid out of his body, and it was so alluring that Ratio nearly rammed himself back in in a fit of insanity.

Managing to catch himself in time, he huffed groggily and pulled away, giving Aventurine a pillow to lean his shoulder against before stepping away to search for tissues.

“… Huh…?”

But Aventurine called out to him in confusion as soon as he tried to leave.

“Wait… you didn’t come yet…”

“I’ll take care of it,” Ratio said, struggling to suppress the angry twitching of his erection. Behave, he scolded himself. You’ve done enough to him this week, be satisfied already. “You’re tired. You should rest.”

“Don’t decide that… for me…” Aventurine tried to protest, but he couldn’t even say it in one breath. He reached forward, but didn’t finish the gesture, and ended up collapsing in the sheets.

“Ugh… I can… take it…” He huffed into the blankets, hoisting himself to his knees but not quite able to do the same with his arms. He knelt there, with only his buttocks in the air, uttering angry-sounding mumbles into the bedsheets.

“Right…” Scoffing musingly, Ratio turned away. He fetched a box of tissues from the side cabinet, and turned back with it – only to stiffen.

Aventurine had turned his buttocks towards him and was touching himself in a display of blatant wanton. He was reaching back, arm between his thighs, spreading his own entrance as wide as his fingers could go.

“Ratio… here…”

An ominous pang resonated through Ratio’s groin. He could see Aventurine’s pucker glistening all the way across the room. It was soaked in his own seed, gooey and still pulsing with lingering contractions.

Ratio gulped, aware of his own erection straining frantically into the air.

“Put it in…” Aventurine called out to him, in a whisper that was faint and delirious with both desire and exhaustion. “Fuck me as hard as you like… I want you to come inside me…”

Ratio stayed where he was, not trusting himself to move.

Fuck… he wanted nothing more than to go over and plug up that juicy little hole. Aventurine must have put his own fluids in when Ratio wasn’t looking, because it was so wet that a sticky strand of goo freed itself from the main glob. It dangled between Aventurine’s thighs, trembling as though begging Ratio to come over, catch it with his finger, and shove it back in where it belonged.

Clutching at his last feeble strands of sanity, Ratio took a deep breath.

“Don’t push yourself…” he began, in a voice that was hoarse with effort.

“… Damnit, Ratio!”

To his surprise, instead of the usual plea, Aventurine broke out into an indignant grumble.

“Don’t be such a fucking hypocrite! You’re the one who should stop pushing yourself, if you want me then just take me! Stop making me seduce you!”

 Taken aback, Ratio blinked at the young man with his mouth open. It wasn’t often that he was lectured by someone else.

It was even less often that he admitted they were right.

Sighing, Ratio walked over. He set the tissue box aside, then grabbed Aventurine’s hips and pressed himself against the gooey mess.

The lingering anger in Aventurine’s pants faded as he relaxed and dropped his arm with a satisfied huff.

“Sorry…” Ratio murmured, kneading his tip against the pucker. He didn’t say it out loud, but he figured it was obvious as he held Aventurine steady and slowly pushed himself in.

You’re right. I want you. I want you so badly, I’m scared of what I might do to you.

“Ohh…”

Aventurine’s insides rippled against him in greeting as he slid all the way in. Grabbing the blonde firmly around the abdomen, Ratio immediately began to thrust, sighing thickly in bliss as he grinded Aventurine’s body back and forth against him.

“But for the record…” he murmured, bending over and brushing his lips against the blonde’s ear.

“… I really enjoy being seduced by you.”

“Hngh!” Aventurine stiffened up with a startled whimper, his insides clamping down hard.

Chuckling breathlessly, Ratio quickened his pace.

“Haha… perhaps I should return the favour?”

“Ahh… ohnn…”

Not seeming to understand what he was saying, Aventurine pulled the blankets closer and moaned gustily into them.

Closing his eyes, Ratio recalled the many lewd things Aventurine had whispered to him and tried to twist them for his own use.

Brushing his tongue against Aventurine’s ear, Ratio propelled a low growl straight into his mind. “Aventurine… you said I could fuck you as hard as I like, right…?”

“Hah…?!” Aventurine gasped shrilly, apprehension slipping into his voice as his body shivered instinctively in response.

“Oh…?” Ratio teased him in a deep, suave voice. “What was that noise… were you imagining something incredible?” He leaned even closer, smacking their bodies rapidly together as he purred, “Tell me, Aventurine… I want to make you feel good. I want to hear more of those adorable sounds…”

“Ahgh…” Aventurine gasped, starting to sound flustered as he flinched away from Ratio’s lips.

It had simply been an act, a bit of a vengeful experiment… but Ratio was starting to enjoy this. He swallowed, pushing away his pride and self-judgement as he continued caressing Aventurine’s ears with a low, tender voice.

“Go on… tell me what you want me to do. What should I do to make you cum?”

“Uhngh…” Aventurine only managed a baffled whimper. “Ratio… stop… I-I don’t know…”

Ratio chuckled quietly. The young executive clearly wasn’t used to this kind of treatment… even his insides were quivering in confusion.

Thoroughly enjoying himself, Ratio leaned forward and groaned purposefully into Aventurine’s ear.

“You’re so cute when you’re flustered.”

Their bodies collided with a firm plap and Aventurine promptly buckled, his hips jerking as he uttered a startled mewl.

“Ahh–?!”

Fluid, only a bit of it – it was probably all he had left – squirted onto the blankets and Aventurine cursed shakily as he struggled to keep his trembling hips upright.

“F-Fuck… Ratio…!”

His insides were convulsing like crazy… it felt so good inside of him right now. Completely overwhelmed with bliss, Ratio began to forget that this was only supposed to be an act.

He reached forward, sliding his hands onto Aventurine’s torso and reaching straight for his nipples. Kneading the little buds vigorously, he growled in satisfaction.

“This part of you… is irresistible, too…”

Aventurine whined, but at this point, it was just gibberish. He had given up on trying to lift his hips, and his buttocks were completely collapsed against Ratio now, his knees trembling violently around the stains he’d left in the blankets.

“Remember what you were begging me to do yesterday…?” Still trying to tease him, Ratio fed him more silky whispers. “Suck my nipples, you said, while shoving them into my mouth… did my lips feel good? Did you enjoy being milked that hard?”

Flinching away, Aventurine huffed, and his voice was so shrill that it was barely audible. “Hah…!”

“And what did you say after that? In the shower, with this same, naughty mouth…?” Ratio nudged his knuckles against Aventurine’s lips.

“Something about my cock being too big…? About wanting to taste my cum in your throat…?”

Aventurine resisted at first, mouth tightly shut in an attempt to muffle his whimpers… but as Ratio continued battering him with sensual murmurs, he weakened, and eventually parted his lips to moan. Ratio immediately shoved his fingers inside, muffling his voice.

“Ungh – mmph…”

His mouth was soaked in saliva, and incredibly hot. It felt too small for even his fingers, and Ratio huffed aggravatedly to himself as he remembered how deep he had plunged his manhood here. How had that even been possible…?

“What else did you say… ah yes…” He leaned close, breathing headily against the back of Aventurine’s nape. “You asked me to make you scream… to keep pounding you even if you begged me to stop… you wanted me to batter the inside of your stomach with my ‘terrifying monster’, until it was all bloated with your cum…”

He thrusted forward, hard, decorating each of his sentences with a loud, lewd slap. Aventurine whimpered shrilly, sounding like he was trying to interrupt, but unable to form anything coherent with Ratio’s fingers pressed down on his tongue.

“And then, when I warned you that I might actually do those things to you…”

He pulled his fingers out of Aventurine’s mouth and grabbed the young man’s chin instead, tilting his head back and holding it in place beneath his threatening rumble.

“You said you’d be happy if I did… right?”

“Ah…?!”

Aventurine gasped raggedly, and there was something resembling fear in his voice.

Ratio chuckled darkly, enjoying how thoroughly frazzled the young executive sounded. He had never tried this before, but it was dangerously satisfying… unravelling someone else’s sanity first, before they could destroy his own.

Though, at this point… was he still sane? He wasn’t sure.

“… Remember your first lesson from me, Aventurine?” Ratio whispered smugly. “Don’t speak without thinking about the consequences... right?”

“Ahhh…” Aventurine moaned shakily, his voice so coy and broken that it almost sounded like a sob. “Okay… okay, I won’t… I won’t Ratio, so please… stop talking, I’m begging you…!”

Pleased, Ratio pulled him close, trapping Aventurine against him as he once again rumbled intimately into his ear.

“As you wish, my sweet little gambler.”

“Hngh!”

Aventurine immediately tensed up, his muffled voice jolting shrilly upwards in shock. His insides, still trembling from his last orgasm, locked up all over again, pulsing frantically against Ratio as he continued to thrust.

“Mm… mmm…!”

Aventurine kept his lips pressed tightly together, struggling to suppress his broken cries. But he couldn’t hide the tears rolling off his chin, or the fluid dribbling between his legs. By now, his ejaculate was so thin that Ratio doubted there was any semen left in his entire body.

Heh… he truly had ‘milked Aventurine dry’.

… The thought rippled wildly through Ratio’s brain, making him abruptly aware of his own delirium.

Oh no.

But he was already too far gone. Unable to stop himself, he watched as he grabbed Aventurine’s torso and pummelled his trembling body with all his might. Aventurine gasped beneath him, wailing through broken breaths, crying what might have been Ratio’s name.

“Ahh… ahn… I… mm… Rati… ohh…!”

He was mating Aventurine like an animal now… gripping the man’s slim waist ferociously in his hands and pummelling their bodies together without any hint of restraint… driven entirely by his primitive instincts, desiring nothing more than to fill Aventurine completely with his seed.

“Aventurine… I’m about to come inside you… I’m going to impregnate you…”

Ratio wasn’t sure if he’d actually mumbled it out loud, or if it was simply a crazed thought that slid through his mind as he hurtled into a final, explosive climax.

Ramming deep into Aventurine’s body, Ratio burst there, groaning as pressure rushed through his groin and ejected violently from his length. It was such an intense eruption that Aventurine tensed up with a startled cry and jerked back against him, unintentionally burying him even deeper. Ratio’s hand was splayed over Aventurine’s abdomen, and he could feel a pressure from inside jabbing the young man’s belly into his palm. The sensation struck him with such insane delight that he felt apprehension shiver down his own neck.

…Today, Ratio had learned a lesson, too. A dangerous lesson.

All at once, the obscene things he’d said rushed into his returning conscience. Flustered, Ratio pulled out, and seed splashed everywhere as he hastily exited Aventurine’s body, flinging up as far as the young man’s back.

As they sprinkled dangerously close to his injuries, Ratio drew in a sharp breath and floundered for the tissue box.

“Your wounds–”

“It’s… fine… it’s fine…” Aventurine gasped breathlessly, but Ratio snapped irritably back.

“It’s not fine, I don’t want them to scar.”

Aventurine fell silent, his voice fading in surprise. He could probably hear the unspoken words in Ratio’s anger.

I don’t want them to leave any more marks on you.

Still, perhaps his tone had been a bit harsh. Taking a deep breath, calming breath, Ratio spoke again in a quieter mutter.

“Lie down. I’m going to clean them again.”

“… I’m already lying down, worry-wart,” Aventurine mumbled breathily. He had collapsed in the blankets, and was clearly too exhausted to do anything else.

Indeed, what an unnecessary command. It seemed Ratio’s brain hadn’t fully pieced itself back together yet.

A little disgruntled, Ratio went to fetch some more swabs. His own body was still throbbing from the lingering effects of his powerful climax, and sore pangs battered his groin as he shuffled back and forth across the room.

Settling back on the bed beside Aventurine, Ratio tore open a swab with particular ferocity. Aventurine glanced back, seeming a little startled by the sound at first – but when he saw Ratio’s sulky frown, his eyes brightened, and he let out a breathless laugh.

“Haha–! Urk…”

Only to stop hastily, cringing, as his body couldn’t sustain the muscle contractions that came with it.

Sighing exasperatedly, Ratio began to wipe down the young man’s back again. He was using simple moistened pads this time, since he’d already cleaned them recently and he didn’t want to inflict unnecessary pain. Although Aventurine did tense up instinctively at first, once he realized it wasn’t going to hurt, he cautiously relaxed.

It was silent for a while, but peacefully so. Ratio worked subconsciously, his mind blank and anesthetized with exhaustion and bliss. The emptiness was unfamiliar, but soothing.

“… Ratio…”

“Hmm?”

Both of their voices were sluggish and breathless, thick with drowsiness.  

“… I concede.”

Ratio frowned slightly, not comprehending.

“Hm?”

Aventurine uttered a single breathless chuckle.

“I was wrong. You can hold back a little.”

At that, Ratio chuckled, too. “It might be too late for that.”

He leaned closer, and Aventurine promptly glanced back with a gasp of alarm.

“No, wait, don’t–!”

Nuzzling his pink ears, Ratio whispered, “You were too cute.”

“Hngh–!” Aventurine cringed, his entire body stiffening as though inflicted with physical pleasure.

Ratio couldn’t help but admire the intensity of his reaction. Musingly, he said, “You’re really not accustomed to praise, are you?”

Flushed up to his ears, Aventurine cast him a teary-eyed glare. “Ugh… unlike your oh-so-magnificent self, Ratio, it’s not exactly something I grew up with.”

Reminded of everything he had just witnessed, Ratio sighed and inclined his head in sombre acknowledgement.

He had finished wiping off the sweat and residue from Aventurine’s back now, and he moved on to re-applying ointment in the places where it had thinned. But now that he was calmer, and looking closely, Ratio began to notice a few faint striations in Aventurine’s skin.

The young man was already pale, and the discoloured areas even paler, so they hadn’t been easily visible. Perhaps that was why he hadn’t seen them until now – the old scars. Small slashes, knife wounds, from long ago.

Frustration clenched at his throat. It was becoming quite a familiar sensation lately… sighing, Ratio calmed himself down and stroked his thumb gently across one of the small scars.

Perhaps not expecting the touch, Aventurine stirred and uttered a questioning huff.

“You know,” Ratio murmured, “Earlier, when I said you couldn’t do anything with your path abilities… you robustly proved me wrong.”

While his cornerstone was indeed powerful, Ratio rarely saw Aventurine in actual combat. He usually handled things with negotiation – after all, making enemies was generally not profitable.

He hadn’t expected the little peacock, with his vain plumage and delicate features, to handle a dagger so well.

Aventurine blinked, looking surprised for a moment before he relaxed with a smug chortle.

“Not often that happens either, is it Doctor?”

“Indeed,” Ratio mused, tracing the scar across Aventurine’s upper back. “Not often at all…” He trailed of, bending down and kissing the blonde lightly on the shoulder, where the old wound tapered off. “Is it something you picked up as a child?”

“Correct.” Aventurine offered him that signature snap of his fingers. Ratio couldn’t help but suspect that the playful gesture was hiding something again, and he leaned closer to nuzzle the young man on an uninjured part of his cheek.

Seeming to enjoy the gesture this time, Aventurine leaned affectionately into his lips. When Ratio pulled away, he uttered a dissatisfied whine and rolled onto his back, raising his arms in a blatant demand for more.

“Your wounds,” Ratio sighed again, reaching for a pillow to pad Aventurine’s back with, but the man was already reeling him in.

Wrapping his arms around Ratio, Aventurine hugged him tight. “You’re not pounding me into the bed right now, so it’s fine.”

Ratio felt his torso expand in a loud sigh. But if we’re not careful, I will be soon.

Giving himself an internal shake, Ratio perished the thought. He had already done far too much to someone who was injured.

Slipping the pillow behind Aventurine anyway, Ratio settled against him, letting the young man hug him while carefully keeping most of his weight at bay. After a while, Aventurine began to mumble, continuing his earlier answer in a more solemn, honest voice.

“I didn’t receive my cornerstone until much later, and offering up my body only works in some situations. I had to survive, somehow.”

It was a matter-of-fact answer, devoid of bitterness but also of all other emotion. Feeling a wave of grief in his stead, Ratio sighed heavily.

Seeming to hear the regret in his voice, Aventurine rubbed his back in a comforting sort of way.

“I’m fine now, Doctor,” he said airily. “So don’t feel like you need to protect me. If anything, I’m the Preservation follower, I’m the one who should be protecting you.”

Still irked and sentimental, Ratio pulled back slightly to glare at him. “You can’t protect me if you can’t even protect yourself, you know.”

Aventurine chuckled. “Debatable.”

Agitated, Ratio began to growl – but Aventurine leaned forward, silencing him with a cajoling kiss on the lips.

“You surprised me too, you know,” he whispered. Peering up at Ratio in mock awe, Aventurine told him in a sweet voice, “You were kind of cool back there. I should think twice the next time I push a gun into your hand, you were a surprisingly good shot.”

He knew it was an act, but part of Ratio fell for it anyway. Flushing, he grunted gruffly.

“Simple physics.”

“Oh yeah?” Aventurine laughed. He leaned away and opened his mouth wide, presenting Ratio with a clear view of his parted lips and flushed tongue.

“Would this be ‘simple physics’, too?”

Ratio frowned down at him, confused. His erection stirred, but he didn’t understand why.

Amused by his sudden innocence, Aventurine chortled and yanked him back into a tight hug. “You’re such a good shot with a gun, surely you can apply the same concept to… you know, other things?”

Ratio’s frown deepened. He narrowed his eyes, submerging himself into his brain as he struggled to understand this analogy. Something else? Physics? Shooting? Aventurine’s mouth? Him?

Oh–

Heat blossomed over his face, and Ratio tightened their embrace with a flustered growl.

“Stop, we’re not doing that.”

“Haha!” Aventurine chortled, clearly entertained. “Doctor, are you sure? It sounds like fun, doesn’t it? We could make a bet… from how far away do you think you could land your cum in my mouth?”

“I said we’re not doing that,” Ratio repeated aggravatedly, struggling to keep the image at bay. Aventurine, kneeling a little ways in front of him, eyes shining as he opened his mouth and waited with eager anticipation…

Ignoring him, Aventurine tilted his head and purred suggestively. “If I win… next time, we’re using handcuffs. If you win… you tell me.” He locked eyes with Ratio, trapping him in the mesmerizing colour of his irises as he whispered. “What do you want from me, Doctor?”

“… One day.”

Damnit.

It was happening again. He was being pulled along to everything Aventurine said.

Aventurine’s eyes brightened in vague confusion. Unable to stop himself, Ratio continued in a husky mutter.

“One day, every month. Block off your schedule for me, I don’t want any alarms getting in the way.”

At that, Aventurine’s eyes widened in realization. He pulled away with an incredulous laugh, but beneath the brightness there was still a tremor, a faint hint of apprehension.

“What do you want me to do, put ‘sucking Ratio’s cock’ on my calendar?”

“If that’s what it takes,” Ratio rumbled.

“That… that’s a lot to ask, you know,” Aventurine said, and this time the tremble was audible in his voice. “I am a Stoneheart… how much free time do you think I have?”

“It’s my wager,” Ratio insisted. He reached forward, brushing Aventurine’s bangs aside and sliding his fingers into the blonde’s waves. He held Aventurine tenderly like that, cradling his head against his palm as he whispered.

“Aventurine, are you too scared to gamble with me?”

“I–” Aventurine’s indignant huff trailed off. He paused, hesitating, his eyes flickering off to the side as though trying to avoid meeting Ratio’s gaze. “I’m not… I just… I’m not scared, but… it’s just… a lot…”

“If you’re busy that day, then it’s fine,” Ratio murmured, pulling him back into a gentle hug. “But I want you to try.”

“I… hah…” Aventurine’s protest trailed off into a shaky pant. He was silent for a while, uncertainty in every breath. But as Ratio waited patiently, not saying a word… not pushing him any further, but simply staying there, surrounding him with warmth… his tremors began to fade.

His breathing slowed, and his hands slid back around Ratio’s shoulders, locking behind his neck and easing him closer.

“… Alright.”

His voice, when he spoke, was solemn. A little surprised, Ratio glanced at his face – and realized Aventurine was smiling.

Not just smiling… beaming. An imperfect beam, mixed with trembling lips, furrowed brows, and uncertain flickers…

... But a beam nevertheless. Warm, radiant, and hopeful.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, Doctor.”