Chapter Text
The question "how did you sleep" used to be a rhetorical one, since the five-odd hours (enough for survival and not much else) Xiao used to be permitted for rest were spent sleeping like a corpse before, usually, being quite literally thrown out of bed by one of his siblings-in-arms. Now that he is ordered to sleep as much as he wants, so long as he attends to his duties on time, Bosacius will need to find somebody else to bully.
His new, more relaxed schedule does not keep him from panicking when Morax himself personally comes to his room when he is late. Xiao bolts upright with a gasp at the light touch to his side, scrambling for a weapon he no longer owns. He is about to relax, remembering that he need not tear through each day a second at a time, when he turns his head to see who woke him up.
"Relax, little bird," Morax says, the crow's feet around his eyes crinkling. "Your idleness is not a crime, especially in your new position."
Xiao feels his face heat up immediately." M-My apologies regardless. I will not make it in time for our training, will I?"
"Guizhong has delegated others to my duties during the time it takes to settle you into your role." Morax reaches out and tucks a sticking-out lock of hair behind Xiao's ear. "We have plenty of time and you need not worry otherwise."
"Still," he murmurs, "I disregarded an order from my lord, and that must warrant some sort of consequence."
Morax's brow furrows. "We can dwell on that later, once you are prepared for the day. But for now, shall we get you dressed and ready for breakfast?"
...
Nowadays, Xiao spends more time in Morax and Guizhong's quarters than in his own room — or he spends more time on the floor of their quarters. He prepares to take his place, kneeling a few paces away from the table, but Morax's hand presses at the small of his back before he can. "Not today. Strip, and go lie on your back on the bed while I prepare, please."
The bed, as in the one belonging to Morax and Guizhong? Xiao glances up at Morax, tilting his head. Even before he signed the contract ceding his status to his lord and lady, he has always known he is in no position to intrude upon them, let alone their bed.
"You have both my and Guizhong's permission — if you did not, I would not be asking such a thing." Morax's hand slides to cup the bony jut of his hip and squeezes. "Now then, little bird."
With another brief glance, Xiao detaches himself from Morax's side and climbs onto the bed, the mattress not even dipping from his weight. He lies down on the silken sheets in the position Morax taught him a few days ago — arms raised above his head with elbows crooked to form a rhombus-like shape, his palms facing upward; back flat and not arched, shoulders against the sheets; his legs parted slightly but still relaxed. Even while lying down, Xiao remembers Morax's steady hand and firm voice, instructing him to hold the position until he is told to stop.
Wetness is already beginning to gather at his entrance, too; with touching himself forbidden he has no way to take the edge off the excitement that comes with his position.
There is some clinking, but Xiao continues staring at the ceiling as he was instructed. He reminds himself not to tense up when Morax approaches, though he must be blushing furiously nonetheless.
And his suspicions are confirmed when Morax laughs softly, brushing Xiao's heated cheeks with his knuckles. "What a lovely sight you make. I dare say you appear made to be our pet."
"Too flattering," is all Xiao can murmur. He bites his lip, remembering he is supposed to keep talking to a minimum, but Morax slides his thumb over his mouth until he stops.
"I do expect you to take the utmost best care of yourself," he chides, and Xiao squirms. "As with your pleasure, you will experience pain at my discretion only — and you shall soon understand the meaning of that."
Xiao inhales sharply when Morax begins to pet him only with the tips of his fingers, stopping once in a while to trace his scars. "It should go without saying that your pain tolerance, for the most part, is incredibly high — nobody could have served in the military for as long as you without that. However, I cannot help but wonder if that extends to the more sensitive parts of you — the parts that you could never involve in battle."
Without warning, Morax grazes the tip of his extended claw over one of the soft, brown buds on Xiao's chest. Xiao's arms jerk, though he keeps himself from lowering them at the last minute, and he squeaks.
"Guizhong is most fond of comparing the reactions from feeling both pain and pleasure, which she describes as two sides of the same coin," Morax explains. "I quite enjoy observing those as well. You will become familiar with those two feelings, starting today." He traces the other side of Xiao's chest as well, the tip of his claw digging in just enough to sting, but not enough to break his skin.
Xiao trembles. Of course, he cannot help the frantic beating of his heart, the engrained understanding that pain will lead to debilitating injury and subsequent uselessness. But Morax kisses his temple, then, and strokes a hand down his side. "If you find anything too overwhelming, you may always ask me to stop. Even our pets have a say in what is done to them."
When Morax allows him to speak with a tap on the lower lip, Xiao says quietly, "I trust my lord to respect my boundaries."
He kisses Xiao again, this time on the forehead. "How sweet of you — you have my word that I will not betray your trust."
His hands slide back up Xiao's torso, stroking his sensitive chest with his thumbs. He continues through the hazy fog creeping into Xiao's mind, "I am not as sensitive here, but perhaps you will be."
Two of Morax's fingers close around Xiao's left nipple and he pinches.
Xiao yelps. The pain is sharper than he expected, and ebbs away slowly when Morax releases him. After offering him a few seconds to catch his breath, Morax smooths a thumb over the faintly-sore flesh before pinching the other side.
Though obviously not the most intense pain he has ever felt, this sensation is so odd that it causes Xiao to feel close to falling apart regardless. The hot, throbbing waves of pain in his chest seem to pulse all the way down to his sex. His entrance tingles with heat, and he hears himself whimper.
Morax tightens his grip, slowly rolling Xiao's nipple between his fingers. I do not think we will have you pierced here, though that might add fascinating new opportunities into our play. I quite enjoy the sight of your chest without any adornments."
The relentless tugging on his chest chases away most of the thoughts in Xiao's head. His eyelids flutter as he drifts on the slight ache, slick leaking steadily from him, drip by drip. With another shaky whine, Xiao bucks his hips, entrance clenching in search of satisfaction he knows he will not find.
"Stay still, Xiao." Morax takes his hansd away, but not before giving his buds a rough twist, scraping calluses over the tips. "Perhaps I was being a tad too gentle, given how much you enjoyed that. When you break one of the rules we have set out — which will happen, but you need not be afraid of — you may find that most of our punishments will be a little painful.
"But that is quite a sobering topic." Morax walks his hands down Xiao's sides, then pinches his inner thigh. Xiao's legs jolt. "I would rather see if your pretty little clit is as sensitive to pain as your chest."
Many times more sensitive, if their previous lessons have indicated anything. More than once, Xiao has staggered back to his room and collapsed in bed immediately, hugging his pillow and rocking minutely for just a tiny bit of satisfaction. Even though Morax always lets him climax at the end of each lesson, sometimes his body desires a few more orgasms after having been teased for so long — a few more orgasms Xiao cannot give it. It only makes every climax at Morax's hands all the more intense.
Another pinch to the thigh, this one dangerously close to his sex. "I hope you haven't floated away, little bird. A good pet should pay attention while being trained."
With a little pout, Xiao nods and tilts his head back to bare his throat. Morax nips the sensitive curve of his jaw, touching the tip of his tongue to the pinked skin just as he lightly pinches Xiao's clit.
It should not feel so intense, should it? Yet Xiao cries out, tensing his muscles to keep from squirming away. He can feel his heartbeat hammering against Morax's fingers, the bundle of nerves already hot and hard after a few seconds of touching. The desire simmering in him turns into a rolling boil when Morax pushes one hand over his thigh, effectively holding his legs apart. He leans over, a lock of hair brushing Xiao's stomach as he tugs at his clit. Morax is squeezing tightly enough that his fingers do not move, yet the firm, painful pressure makes Xiao aroused nonetheless.
"I do wish to err on the side of caution, though Guizhong will likely not be as lenient." Morax pinches a little harder, drawing a high whine from Xiao. His entrance spasms helplessly. "You wear pain beautifully regardless — it must feel good as well, hmm?"
Xiao nods, breathing exiting in ragged pants when Morax gentles his touch only slightly. He can feel little else but the throbbing between his legs, but as overwhelming as the feeling is, he can't push himself past the edge. Not with his lord's permission.
Morax adjusts his grip so he can drag a brusque knuckle through Xiao's soaked folds. "It seems that once you realise how it feels, you simply want more and more — such a sweet thing. But we ought not to do so much during your first time or you will find it quite hard to walk afterwards." Still, after he takes his fingers away, Morax slaps them over Xiao's sex, hard enough to sting.
It aches. Xiao almost brings his hands down to muffle the absolutely humiliating squeal that escapes him.
"I anticipate you shall feel more of those in the future," Morax purrs. "Now then, I would like to see how you fare with both your chest and sex tormented. I trust you have never used these?"
He dangles a length of chain in front of Xiao. He has to focus to see what it is, and he trembles at the sight of the two clamps at either end. Will he have them — Will they be clipped over his —
"I have loosened them considerably to reduce the pain they will cause." Morax gathers the chain in his palm, then grips Xiao's wrist with his other hand. "Nevertheless, I will test its strength on somewhere similar first — tell me if it begins to hurt unbearably."
Xiao's elbow aches a little when Morax brings it down from its spot, massaging it until he relaxes. Then he smooths his thumb over Xiao's inner wrist and closes the cool bite of a clamp over a small patch of skin. Xiao inhales sharply, but it hurts no more than if he were to bump his wrist into the corner of a table.
Morax cradles his hand, fingertips drawing patterns over his palm. "We will stay like this for a few minutes. Take the time to breathe."
And so Xiao drifts once more, the combination of pain and pleasure making him warm and sleepy. Morax does not stop him when he closes his eyes.
When Xiao is brought out of his haze, it is with a brush of claws over his cheek, more ticklish than painful. He opens his eyes to look at Morax, who smiles and retracts his claws. "I will remove the clamp now."
"Mmhmm." Xiao's fingers twitch as blood flows into the clamped part of his wrist, warmer than before and a little achy. He feels another heated tingle between his legs as the pain fades, and can only imagine how close he is to nearing the edge.
Morax kisses the inside of his wrist before placing his arm in its original position. "Stay relaxed for me, little bird." He holds Xiao still with a firm hand over his sternum and closes the first clamp over his nipple.
Unyielding and rigid, it hurts even more than the pinch of Morax's fingers. Xiao's feet slip on the sheets, legs kicking out of control, and he arches his back with a shaky cry. Morax pushes him down with a light slap to the cheek and puts the other clamp on.
Perhaps Morax is pinning him down out of mercy — even Xiao's breathing jostles the clamps somewhat, sending fresh waves of pain through his chest. A whimper seems to follow every breath. The pulsing pain seems to grow by the second even though the tightness of the clamp says the same, and his skin feels so alive with sensation that even a faint breeze between his legs might cause him to cry.
Morax picks up the chain but leaves it slack, so the clamps do not pull. "When I wear these, Guizhong quite enjoys connecting the chain to a pair of cuffs, or to another chain from a clamp between my legs. Painful as it is, even I must admit it is a very lovely sight. Once you have completed your training, perhaps we might try that with you."
Instead of wincing at the thought of a clamp going over his clit, or cuffs around his wrists, Xiao cannot help but imagine Morax arranged to Guizhong's instructions, draped in golden chains that pinch and bully the most sensitive parts of him. They must gleam, instruments of pain forged from the finest metals and jewels, and Xiao feels his excitement grow at the thought of the sore, rosy skin that must be left behind afterwards.
"Sometimes she bids me wear them over my clothes." Morax slides two fingers into Xiao's mouth, pressing on his tongue. Xiao instinctively closes his lips around them and begins to suck. "Perhaps I will ask if we can do that again soon, so you may see how it affects me — and how it may affect you." He places the chain, the metal now warm, back onto Xiao's torso. "But you must train up to that. I shall set a timer for ten minutes, and you will remain as still as possible during that time."
Xiao nods, or tries to, with Morax's fingers still in his mouth.
Morax pets his thigh with his other hand. "I recall you asking for consequences, since you woke up late this morning. So, when I stimulate you towards orgasm at the end of those ten minutes, I want you to stay on the edge for thirty seconds instead of the planned twenty. How does that sound?"
He nods again. The time he is instructed to stay on edge is increased by five seconds every week, and the longer he denies himself, the more intense the orgasm that is wrenched out of him. Xiao's body almost refuses to tip over after all the denial, until Morax persuades it to regardless.
"Then we shall begin." Morax tugs his fingers out of Xiao's mouth and folds his hands in his lap. He tilts his head, one finger tapping idly. Even without an hourglass, Morax can keep time perfectly in his head — but Xiao will not know how much longer he will be teased for. He looks at Xiao all the while, legs tilted with how he is sitting on the bed, but does not touch him.
Xiao closes his eyes, like he did when Morax tested the clamps, but the pain grounds him this time. With nothing else stimulating him, his imagination runs wild. He thinks he can feel the phantom touch of Morax's hand stroking in between his legs. He imagines climaxing, being praised with his lord's dulcet voice as he shudders and sobs through release. Maybe Morax will pinch his chest over his clamps, then, the sharp pain sending even more slick gushing from his entrance, then reprimand him sharply for making a mess. He whines, his voice oddly raspy, and thrusts his chest out a little more. Now that he is Morax's loyal pet, his body will be another pretty thing on display, a part of a dragon's hoard.
He thinks about Morax wearing these clamps. Guizhong is sharper with him; would she tighten the clamps until their steely bite on Morax's chest causes him to gasp and tear up? Scandalously, Xiao pictures Morax chained and bullied the way he is — leashed and pulled along by the chain of his clamps, forced to walk briskly lest they tug on his chest; struck in between the legs by the Lady of Dust, by a cane or crop so as not to dirty her hands; every part of him bound so tightly he can barely move and is forced to endure whatever Guizhong wishes. His lord is his superior now as he was then; Xiao is in no position to think of him in such situations —
Pressure, between his legs. Xiao's eyes fly open just in time to see Morax withdraw his hand from where he just put a clamp at the base of his clit, causing no pain but sending blood there pulsing quicker nonetheless. His clit must be flushed bright red now, gleaming with his own slick and swollen to resemble a tiny length.
His whimpers rise into a long, loud moan when Morax begins to touch him, the increased blood flow turning him ever more sensitive. Every languid circle Morax draws around his clit brings him closer and closer to orgasm, the ache that now sings through his entire body mingling with white-hot pleasure.
Though Xiao's mind is too hazy to keep count, even he can tell that only a few minutes pass until he feels his body tighten in anticipation of an orgasm. Morax's gaze sharpens and the movements of his fingers slow. "Stay, Xiao. Do not come until you have my permission."
Even without Morax touching him as quickly, the clamp squeezes tightly enough that there is no way for Xiao to come down from the edge. He throws his head back with an almost-wail, his entire body shaking with the effort of restraining himself. The ache of his mounting climax spreads from his sex to his legs, his stomach; his vision even whites out for a few seconds when he has to close his eyes again.
His senses are so far away from him that he almost misses it when Morax reaches over and undoes the clamp, punctuating the sudden rush of blood with a cruel flick to his clit. "Go ahead, little bird."
Xiao's orgasm crashes into him so hard that tears roll down his cheeks. His hands break out of position, twisting in the sheets and almost tearing it; Xiao bucks his hips into Morax's hand and arches his back so hard it hurts. The pleasure rocks through him for so long that he suspects he might have climaxed a second time.
Eventually, once Xiao's breathing has slowed down, Morax climbs into the bed and pulls him into his arms. He does not seem bothered that the last drops of Xiao's arousal are being smeared onto his fine robes, or that he must look rather unbecoming, holding his naked, whimpering pet immediately after teaching him something new.
But Morax allows Xiao to nuzzle the crook of his neck, nestles himself so close that his bare chest is pressed against Morax's clothed one. He wraps his arms around Xiao and strokes his hand up his back until he stops squirming. "Hmm, we will move on to simple obedience training after this — nothing that involves your pretty parts, given how sore you must be already."
Xiao mumbles something not even he can understand, before wiping his tear-stained cheek dry and resting his head on Morax's toned chest. If his lord wants him to take things slow, he will do his best. Perhaps it will be easier with every bit of pleasure that fills him.