Chapter Twenty-Five

For the first time in my life, I could say that Akin was driving me insane.

And not the kind where he teased me sexually or made me sit through three hours of shopping at the same store. Every time I expected him to revert back to normal, he'd pull away and go off on his own. Since my arrival, I'd barely seen him and Hades was thrilled because now he could drag me away to discuss my time in Atlantis, something I really did not want to think about now of all times.

So when I wasn't with Akin, trying to think of ways to tell him I really rather just go back to what we were before, I was being beaten down by Hades to reveal every tiny thing that happened, that I overheard, and the entire time, Lucifer glared at me from the background like he was imagining ripping me into tiny finger-foods.

Xenon was also conveniently avoiding me.

That's right; you better hide, you prick.

Oh, and then there was Lea, who had taken Akin's place at my side every second of every day. Lea was there, always wearing bright colorful new outfits and encouraging me to go into town with her, and to be honest, I missed being forced to stand there, watching someone admire the clothing. I would've rather had Akin there, asking me to hold all his bags and asking me to try everything on... but I suppose I would have to get accustomed to Lea.

I just found it hard to smile at her knowing she would probably kill me if she knew the truth.

Yeah, this last test is definitely the hardest.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Lea asked as we made our way through Main Street, her arm linked with mine. I hadn't even noticed she'd done it until she gave my arm a squeeze and peered up at me with questioning concern furrowing her brow, her blue eyes probing me. How did she know I was mentally freaking out? Only Akin seemed to know. Facial expression wasn't one of my strengths and I had trouble even forming smiles or grimaces... not there was a different when I tried. Yet somehow, Akin and Lea seemed to pick up on whatever I was thinking about.

But there was no way I could tell Lea about the tests, at least, not about the test that involved her. So I averted my eyes to watch the busy street ahead as people weaved in and out of stores, carrying rustling shopping bags or screaming children.

"It's nothing." I told her at last, and Lea tsked at me, poking at my arm.

"Oh no, don't pull the tough guy act on me, Hannibal. I've noticed since you got back that there's something going on in your head. You're spacing out." She added. I hesitated at that. What was okay to talk to your mother about? What wasn't okay? I wasn't sure how parental relationships worked, but Akin used to be pretty open with Lucifer. So maybe that was okay with Lea as well.

"It's Akin." I said at last. Lea's eyes widened.

"So you've noticed it too?" She asked. I frowned.

"Noticed what?" I asked. Lea raised an eyebrow.

"He isn't cheery anymore. He even said he wasn't in the mood to shop and I've been hanging out with Akin since I got here and he has never once said he didn't want to go shopping. I'm worried about him. And you. What's going on between you?" She asked, squeezing my arm. It reminded me of Akin when he squeezed my hand to comfort me. It helped.

"He wants to change our relationship," I said, making her frown, "He says it might be best for me. If we tried to have a normal relationship." Now she appeared puzzled.

"I thought you did have a normal relationship." She said. I tilted my head, hooking my thumbs in the loops of my jeans, Lea's bags bouncing on my thighs as I carried them so she could stay occupied with her shopping and heavy purse.

"I thought we did too... But I think he means to stop our Dominant/Submissive relationship." I responded quietly. Lea's mouth made an "O" shape as she realized what I meant. She was silent for a moment, walking alongside me. This time, she didn't break off to run into one of the shops or attack a vendor for whatever knick-knacks he was selling. She seemed solely focused on my predicament, which felt oddly nice.

Was it selfish of me to say that I really missed having positive attention like this?

"Well, maybe it will help," She offered at last, "Haven't you ever had a normal relationship?" I tensed a little at that, not because I was angry, but because her words stirred up an empty feeling inside me. Now that I thought about it, Akin was my first for everything, really. My first real boyfriend, and definitely my first husband... My first kiss, or at least, first real kiss that I actively participated in. My first sexual partner. My first friend. Everything.

But since the beginning, the Dominant/Submissive part had been there. The collar, the chores, the rules, the orders. It was all there and it felt good to have it there. It was the support net I had while walking on the tightrope that was my life. When I felt like I was falling, the net was there to catch me and put me on my feet again. Now I felt like, one wrong step, and I'd be a stain on the floor.

As strange as it sounded... I feel like Akin was abandoning me and it hurt.

It hurt a lot.

"No," I said, answering Lea's question, making her blink and look at me curiously, "Akin was the only person who didn't treat me like... a monster. I liked our relationship before. It's not helping me feel better. It's making me feel... empty." Lea's eyes grew sad and she stroked my arm. Why was I telling her this? I never talked to anyone about this, and I never admitted to anyone what I was really feeling, not really. Not unless it was irritation or rage. Then I had no problem, because it was easier to express, but pain and sadness? While it was familiar, I had never been allowed to reveal that part of myself.

Otherwise, someone was bound to catch the weakness and exploit it.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Lea said softly, "I had no idea it was that serious. I suppose I just don't understand it still... He never made you feel miniscule or degraded? He never made you feel... less powerful than him?" I shook my head.

"No," I replied, "He always told me I could leave if I wanted to. All I had to do was use our safe word and it was done. I liked having someone do the things that he did, because it made me feel... wanted. It made me feel normal. It made me feel good." Again, why was I being so honest here? Did I really feel so guilty about not telling Lea the truth about myself, that I was willing to at least tell her about my personal feelings on my relationship with Akin? I had no idea how this whole sharing feelings thing worked.

"Did you tell him you wanted to go back to your old relationship?" Lea asked. I frowned.

"I think he knows I want to talk about it, because he keeps avoiding me. He keeps saying its for the best... and I hate Xenon and Hades for suggesting we try this. It's uncomfortable." I replied. Lea sighed warily, brushing her bangs out of her face.

"Oh great, Xenon again," She scoffed, making me arch a brow and she smiled at me, "Don't get me wrong; I love your cousin, but he can be so nosy. He thinks he's doing things for the benefit of everyone, but I don't think he knows what he's doing most of the time." I nodded in agreement. Finally, someone who didn't defend Xenon as a pitiful saint. I also had difficulty hating Xenon for long. While I was still furious at him for being a nosy bastard who thought he could play therapist, he was still the only blood out there that didn't hate me... or at least, aside from Menoetius, but Menoetius was dead.

"There's something else too," I muttered without thinking, making Lea frown at me, "I went to Tartarus and spoke to Menoetius." Lea's eyes widened and she yanked me to a halt, looking at me with genuine concern glowing in her eyes.

"You what? Is that where you were for those couple days? Are you all right? What happened?" She demanded. I actually felt like smiling. She reminded me of Akin. Her instantaneous reactions and desperation to make sure I was okay. Was this that warm and fuzzy feeling I heard about?

Not wanting to walk and talk, Lea and I found an empty cafe table on Mercury Avenue a few minutes later, having lemonade and sharing an olive platter. I explained to Lea what Ares's goal had been in sending me there, the dreams I had of Menoetius and the truth behind him. I didn't mention Prometheus, Epimetheus, or Iapetus. I figured I would save that for a later time when there weren't things Lea could use to destroy the public. I was also positive that mentioning her rapist would scare her, judging from experience with it myself anyway.

"My god," Lea murmured, resting her cheek in her palm, "I can't tell whether I want to punch this guy or pet him... Or at least get him a really good therapist. Like the human man Doctor Phil." I gave her an odd look and she shrugged innocently, twirling her straw in her drink.

"I watch a lot of television," She admitted, then frowned as she chewed at the end of her straw for a moment before looking at me, "Do you truly forgive him?" I nodded.

"I'm tired of feeling weighed down from it. It's exhausting and as someone who's made a lot of mistakes in his life, I would want someone to forgive me too." I said it without even thinking and Lea looked at me, her brows knitting in concern for a moment before her expression softened and she smiled, reaching across the table to take my hand in hers.

"You're such a strong man, Hannibal. I'm really proud of you." She said. Her words cut me sharply and I almost snatched my hand back, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings. I still had no idea what to say to that, though. I felt like I was lying to her. She wouldn't be proud of me if she knew what I'd done, if she knew the things I'd had to do in my past while under Iapetus's thumb. Even though there was a reason behind it all, that was still no excuse. I accepted that and while it was easier to say, I'm not a monster, when I was around my family and Akin, looking into Lea's eyes made me question the phrase all over again.

Every time she spoke of Iapetus, or I mentioned his name, the look in her eyes darkened and instantly told me what she thought of him and people who'd done things like him. And even though she never openly stated that all men like him were pigs, I could see it in her eyes and it made me nervous.

Should I really bother connecting with Lea now, when I was positive that when she found out the truth, she'd reject me for real this time?

My stomach churned at the prospect.

"You're getting that look on your face again," Lea murmured, stroking her thumb over my knuckles before withdrawing her hands to take a sip of lemonade, "Is it Akin again?" I just nodded solemnly, even though it was more than that, Akin was a huge part of it.

"Well," Lea said softly, "Give it another day. If this supposedly normal relationship still puts you at unease, tell Akin that you don't want to do it. You want to be yourselves, and you shouldn't be afraid to do that. Be yourselves, not what other people want you to be." I swallowed at her words, relieved that she wasn't angry or frustrated with me because I didn't want to do this "normal" thing. It felt like Akin and I were trying to be something else, someone else.

Every couple had their strange practices. For crying out loud, Hades and Lucifer beat each other up for fun, then turned around and... I shuddered at the thought. Xenon pretty much let Dorean dominate their relationship, yet he had the balls to tell me that Akin dominating me was wrong? That aggravated me. Granted, Dorean didn't do it the same way Akin did; they were both gentle and careful about their orders, but Akin had a punishment for me if I didn't follow my orders and Dorean simply did it himself or bugged Xenon until he did it.

That was normal?

And Raven and Devereaux. Devereaux was the Deadly Sin of Lust. He thrived on sexual activity, on feeling release, and even though he and Raven had been working through their relationship rather well lately, I knew it still bothered them both that the steps were slow moving. That wasn't a normal relationship, not really. It also wasn't either of their faults.

Cain and Abel? Don't even get me started on how whacked out that relationship is.

Yet everyone felt they had the right to dictate my own relationship with Akin.

That wasn't fair. I never once told anyone else how to live their lives, but somehow, everyone felt they had the right to tell me how to live mine. I was pretty sure I had tossed that order out the window after I confronted Iapetus.

"I need to find Akin." I said, standing up. Lea smiled.

"Of course," She said, sitting back, "You can just leave my bags here. I'll take them back with me later."

"It's fine. I'll take them back to your room." I responded. Lea smiled wider as she stood up, leaning over to kiss me on the cheek.

"If you're okay with that, all right, sweetie. Good luck. I hope you get things figured out, and thanks for shopping with me today... and talking with me. It means a lot." She said. I relaxed at that.

"Thank you for listening to me... I don't normally talk much, but it's nice to have someone to listen to me." I answered. Lea blushed, looking positively ecstatic before we parted ways and I took her bags back to her room at the palace. I was heading down the hallway back toward my room just as Akin was coming out, wearing a terrifyingly sedate pair of jeans and a black button down shirt, his blonde hair done in a ponytail. When he spotted me, he just smiled, but it looked so forced.

I couldn't tell if it was because he was already in a bad mood, or because he was irritated with my choice of clothing today. I'd once again gone with a plain navy shirt and jeans. I could tell, even though Akin didn't say it out loud, that he was desperate to dress me himself to sate his inner OCD. And inner fashion designer. Akin adored dressing me in jeans and tripp pants with chains or belts, heavily designed shirts or jackets, and he spent almost hours brushing my hair after a bath or shower, raking his fingernails through it afterwards and snuggling all over me.

He had yet to do this.

Even when we slept together at night, he wouldn't grope me to sleep or let me sleep around his waist anymore. He said we should be level and let me spoon him and while that was nice and all, it gave me the worst hard-on in the morning and Akin didn't play with me as often as he used to. He let me touch him, and he'd touch me, but he did it slowly and... it lacked the spark that I was used to. I was used to his vigorous rubbing, his grabbing, his pulling at my hair so he could force his tongue as far into my mouth as it could go.

Now he just gave me pecks on the lips and very gentle little gropes that only teased me and infuriated me, but I didn't act on the anger simmering inside me. I just sighed in frustration and Akin pretended not to notice.

"Hey, Hannibal," Akin greeted me with that fake smile of his, "I was just heading into town. I saw a shop down on Main Street that was hiring and I was thinking of checking in." I frowned.

"We need to talk." I said. Akin frowned now, as if he knew exactly what I wanted to say.

"We already talked about this, Hannibal," He replied calmly, tucking his room keys into his pocket, "We need to give this a try. It's... It's gonna be hard at first, but if it's going to help--"

"It's not helping," I said in frustration, making Akin frown further, "It's not helping at all. I want my collar back, master." Akin tensed, his eyes widening slightly. Even though he wasn't saying it out loud, I knew my using his title gave him a thrill. I also knew that my disobeying him was making him angry.

It wasn't that Akin was a man who craved control and power so he could abuse it. Akin was used to being in control of everything, because he'd always been in control. It was just him and his mother, and the moment she was gone, Akin had been on his own to fend for himself. He knew what he wanted, how he wanted it, and when he wanted it. He knew what he liked and disliked, and he honestly had a bit of OCD, even though he'd never admit it, and having control over a situation made him feel comfortable and safe... and it was what made our relationship so perfect.

Akin liked control, and I liked to be controlled. It was consensual; it was safe.

"Hannibal," Akin started again, trying to remain calm, "I know it's hard, but please, just try it a little longer. Xenon and Hades--"

"Can go screw themselves," I said, making Akin's mouth open in surprise, "Our relationship is none of their business. I want my collar back, master, please, sir." Akin swallowed.

"Stop calling me that."

"I can't, master. I don't want to."

"Hannibal." Akin said, voice strained. I could tell he wanted to stick to the project, but I didn't want to. I drew close to him and he tilted his head up to stare at me, eyes shining with frustration and excitement. I was close enough to feel the heat of him against me, feeling the tent in his jeans against me. I leaned down to brush my nose against his and Akin sucked in a low breath.

"Please, master, I miss you." I murmured. Akin swallowed tearfully.

"I just want to do what's best for you, Hannibal... I don't want to scare you again," He added, tears built up in his eyes, ready to overflow, "I didn't know what happened to you in Atlantis, and I'm so sorry Hades told me. I just wanted to know why you were so scared of me, why you were acting the way you did in Styx. And I should've known. I should've known what happened to you, but I was just so happy to have you back that I wasn't paying attention. I just wanted to feel you again and I was making you do something you didn't want to do and you never said a word until-until you had your break down and oh my god, Hannibal, I'm so sorry." Akin broke into sobs, stepping back to cover his face with his hands.

I froze, staring at him as he cried. My immediate instinct was to grab him and hold him against me, but I wasn't sure if he wanted me to. He looked so heartbroken... and it was my fault.

Even worse, my skin crawled when he mentioned that Hades had told him what happened to me in Atlantis. I wasn't too surprised; Hades wasn't good at respecting privacy, particularly mine, but he probably also needed to go into detail as to why the pills backfired and why there was probably a jar of healing gel in the room. I cringed inwardly and moved back, brushing my hands over my arms as if brushing off hands that I could still feel on me.

"I didn't want to scare you again," Akin whimpered helplessly, tears rolling down his face, "I had idea I was forcing you to do that and then when I spoke to Xenon and Hades, they told me that I probably had no idea that I was doing this thing to you every day. You said you were okay with it, but I was afraid you were doing it because you didn't want to make me angry and, Hannibal, you could never make me angry, not really. Yeah, I hate it when you pee on the seat or misplace the shampoo bottles or leave the stove greasy after dinner, but if I woke up one morning and none of that was there, I don't think I'd be able to live with myself anymore, Hannibal." He choked off into another round of sobs and I flinched.

Please stop crying.

A strange sense of deja vu swept over me. Akin hadn't cried like this in a while, and oddly enough, the day Akin found out what I'd done to Abel appeared in my mind's eye. The way my mind panicked and pleaded for Akin to stop crying.

It burned watching him suffer like this. Even worse, I was conflicted between guilt over making him cry and relief that he still cared about me, that he still loved me. He loved me enough to try and change our relationship because he thought it was for the best, and while it wasn't, I still appreciated the meaning behind his attempt to change it.

I came forward took his hands into mine, bringing them up to press them against my cheeks. I relished the soft feel of his palms caressing me and Akin sniffled helplessly, looking up at me with teary eyes, cheeks stained with tears, lower lip quivering as he managed a hiccup that succeeded in making me smile.

"Akin," I said softly, making him sniff and hiccup again, "I'm sorry for scaring you. I should've told you what happened... but I... Akin, I was terrified. And to be honest, the relationship change is just scaring me more. I like when you tell me what to do. I even like the curfew and the chores. I like having someone there for me. The change makes me uncomfortable, it made me think that you... that you didn't care about me anymore." Akin bit back another sob to no avail as he crumpled into me, his arms wrapping around my torso as he rested his head on my shoulder.

"Noo," He moaned helplessly, "No, Hannibal, I do care about you and I always will, it's why I tried to do it in the first place. I'm so sorry, sweetie; so sorry. I love you so much, Hannibal. Every second I'm away from you, I feel like I'm shattering to pieces. I'm sorry for scaring you, sorry for not seeing that you were in pain, and sorry about everything else that I did that was totally stupid. Damn it, baby, I love you so much." I squeezed my eyes shut, sure we were safe and alone and felt the hot salty tears rush past my lashes, sliding down my cheeks.

Crying hurt. It hurt my throat, it hurt my eyes, it hurt my chest.

But it finally felt good to break down in the safety of Akin's arms, knowing that we were still together and always would be. Akin was more than my anchor, more than my master, more than my husband. He was everything to me.

"Akin, I love you too," I managed breathlessly, "I love you so much. Please don't leave me. Please don't change. Please don't be afraid of me. Please." Akin squeezed me, one of those big hugs that I had wanted to feel the moment I came back to him.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie," Akin breathed, pressing his wet cheek to my shoulder, "It was stupid of me to listen to other people... especially Xenon."

"He's really stupid."

"He is really stupid," Akin replied with a half-laugh, half-sob, "But he's helped me realize that our relationship is just us, not him, not Hades, not Lucifer, nobody else, but us." I nodded against his head before we broke apart a moment later, and Akin looked up at me, breathing hard as he cupped my face in his hands. He studied me so intensely that I felt like he was stripping me bare with just his eyes... and then he slid his hands across my cheeks, into my hair, fisting it so tightly that I felt a few strands rip out, sending delicious chills up and down my spine.

"Glad we got that settled," He managed, "Because I've wanted to get you in bed the moment you came through that door." Just like the day we met, I thought with a smile, then stooped down and kissed him. Akin took instant control of the kiss, expertly moving his tongue around mine, stroking the roof of my mouth in a way that made me see stars. I felt my legs tremble beneath me, my breath being sucked out of me as Akin kissed me.

I waited to see if the monster would rear back at the affection, but the monster inside me seemed silent. All I heard and felt now was Akin.

"Bedroom." Akin commanded and I nodded instantly, letting him lead the way into the bedroom. He locked the door, threw up a barrier to keep Lucifer and anyone else out. He turned to me, and a smile curved the corner of his pretty pink lips.

"Take your clothes off and get on the bed, pet. I'm going to get into something more comfortable." Relieved that I had Akin back, my Akin, I nodded quickly and tore my shirt off, literally ripping half the collar off, but Akin didn't seem to mind as he went to the closet to gather up whatever it was he planned to use on me.

I almost caught myself in my zipper trying to take my damn jeans off, kicking them off before folding them up with shaking hands, placing them on the end of the bed the way Akin liked it. I paused as I stared at the bed, hearing Akin ripping things off the racks in the closet. I looked back toward the desk where Akin had tucked my collar away before I went over and took it out of the drawer. I held it up, watching the light catch the silver dog tags, then drew it around my throat, clasping the buckle to secure it.

I went back to the bed and sat down on my knees, breathing a long sigh of relief. Immediate comfort, immediate safety, and soon, immediate pleasure.

My entire body erupted with heat, chills of excitement creeping through my veins as I stared at the bed to give Akin privacy while he changed, even though my eyes dared me to look over at him. I didn't have to wait long, though, because Akin cleared his throat to get my attention and I snapped my head to see him wearing a pair of tight black leather pants, going shirtless, with a black plastic bag of what he always called "the goodies". Even better was the black biker hat he wore tilted from his ponytail that swayed as he walked over to me, the sharp V of his hipbones making me salivat for a nibble.

Suddenly, nothing else mattered.

Screw Atlan.

Screw Atlantis.

Screw everything else. Nothing else was important.

All I wanted to feel was Akin's skin against mine, his lips against mine, and damn it, I hoped to god he had was in a spanking mood. My desperate sexual appetite surprised me. While I was always eager to do something with Akin, this was just... This was unbelievably powerful. It had to be the fact that we hadn't had sex in... far too long.

"Hold your hands out, pet." Akin commanded, sauntering over to the bed. I obeyed without question, watching him with a strange giddy sensation in my gut as he set the bag down and pulled out my black leather arm restraints. A thrill rushed through me as Akin pulled the sleeves up my arms, then pulled them behind my back, lacing up the insides so my arms were trapped together no matter how much I pulled-- not that I was pulling too hard. Just enough to make sure they were secure.

Akin paused to smile down at me, using his hand to tilt my head back so he could lean down to kiss me. His kiss was meant to be gentle and quick, but I couldn't resist nipping at his bottom lip and he moaned softly, parting my lips with his tongue and kissing me deeply. I growled low in my throat, arching up toward him until he pulled me back down by the collar.

"Ah, ah, sweetie," He purred, "You deserve the best treatment tonight." Without another word, he drew his thumbs up to tuck into the corners of my mouth, sticking his thumbs into my mouth between my teeth. I groaned, and the sound was more audible with my mouth open, making Akin shiver. He kissed my nose, forcing my mouth open before he removed one hand and reached into the bag, taking out the black muzzle that cupped my chin and strapped over my mouth. He kissed me one last time on the lips before sliding it on, buckling it at the back of my head.

I watched him intently the entire time, breath coming out quick and excited through my nose. Akin smiled, kissing me over the muzzle as he ran his hands over my cheeks and into my hair so he could twist it around his fingers.

"I missed this," He murmured, tears sparkling in his eyes again, making my heart tighten before he kissed me again over the muzzle, his eyes closing, a sliding down his cheek, "I missed you. And I'm going to show you exactly how much I missed you." He shoved me back hard onto the bed, climbing on top of me.

A strange flicker rushed through me, cutting through the pleasure and giving me a short sense of panic. Akin noticed instantly and winced.

"I'm sorry," He said softly, leaning down to touch the buckles on the muzzle, "I'm being really rough... Do you just want to get right to it or would you rather save this for another night?" I shook my head vigorously, leaning up to push the muzzle against his lips desperately.

Please make me forget.

Akin somehow heard that silent plea as I stared at him and he smiled sadly before nodding, taking a deep breath and sliding his hand down between my legs to stroke me to full blown hardness. I throbbed in his soft palm as he used one hand to slide up and down, the other fondling my sac. I moaned, tilting my head back, but keeping my eyes locked on Akin the entire time, refusing to break the moment.

If I focused on Akin, I could focus on his hands.

My body trembled and I felt myself inching toward climax, until Akin slid something down on my cock, making me tense at the hot pink plastic ring that squeezed the base of my erection. I moaned again and Akin laughed quietly.

"It's about to get better, baby," He promised, and he followed through with that by taking out a small pink remote, pushing the dial up, sending vibrations flooding through my cock and making me squirm, "Only the best for my precious perfect pet." His words combined with the vibrations rumbling through me drove me wild. It felt like all the stress as of late was melting right off me and disappearing into the sheets as I arched my hips up into the vibrations, until Akin pushed me back down and straddled my hips, rubbing himself against me.

I writhed beneath him, breathing heavily as bursts of pleasure electrocuted me. I felt like I was on fire, blood turning to lava, vision darkening around the edges... but never once turning red. I kept my eyes on Akin, watching him grind against me, licking his lips and using a scarf to tie to my collar so he could pull my head up off the bed.

He draped himself over top of me then, licking a hot path from my throat down, down, down over my abdomen so he could tongue my navel before nuzzling my groin, cheeking sliding up and down my hard length. I watched him, heart racing as he kissed the tip of me, smearing the fluids there across the head before he slid back up my body, groping me the whole way.

My vision blurred as a dry orgasm tore through me and I hissed into the muzzle, squirming and twitching, legs opening on instinct. Akin laughed quietly, stroking me as my body ached. He leaned up to kiss me over the muzzle.

"Aw, you're so cute," He praised gently, stroking his knuckles along my cheek, making me tilt my head to nuzzle his palm and he smiled, biting his bottom lip, "Do I mind if I...?" He didn't need to ask. I spread my thighs open further, allowing him access. He shivered, scrambling through the bag and taking out a jar of scented lubricant that he applied heavily before he leaned over top of me, slowly sliding in until I was so full, I was breathless.

I whimpered into the muzzle, feeling saliva oozing out against the inside of it. Akin smirked, then reached around to unbuckle the muzzle, tossing it aside before he captured my lips in a deep, hungry kiss that stole my breath away. He pressed himself deep inside me and I moaned against his lips as he kept his eyes open, watching me through hooded lids.

"I love you." Akin murmured against my mouth. I shivered and brushed my nose against his.

"I love you too." I breathed. Akin teared up, but smiled and rammed his hips against me, making me gasp and bit my bottom lip, but Akin drew his hands up along my neck, up to my cheeks before he buried his thumbs in my mouth again.

"Ah, ah," He whispered, "I want you to be loud as you want tonight, sweetie. Sound barriers are down and it's just you and me. The way it should be." His words gave me that... warm and fuzzy feeling. I breathed out a long sigh, then cried out as he arched his hips up against me, pushing in so deep that I saw stars. My body shuddered, and the vibrating ring on me constricted my attempt to release and I whined in frustration, arching my back. Akin laughed softly, reaching down between us to finger the ring there.

"Do you want this gone?"

"Yes, please, master, please." I pleaded softly, and Akin shivered, moaning lowly before he leaned in to bump his forehead against mine, lips passing over mine.

"I love it when you beg like that." He purred, arching himself against me before he slid the ring off my cock, and stars danced across my vision, making me writhe on the bed, breathing raggedly as I came so hard, I swore I was going to black out for a moment. Akin panted over top of me, breathing hard as he held my face in his hands, keeping eye contact with me before he trembled, biting his bottom lip, filling me until I felt like I was overflowing with warmth.

Akin laid himself out on top of me, the hat sliding off onto the bed, his long hair splaying out across my face as he closed his eyes, laying his hand over a nipple so he could tease it.

"Wanna go for a round two?" He murmured against my skin.

"You don't even have to ask, master." I replied, dazed and numb. Akin laughed softly and propped himself up over top of me, then dipped his head down to kiss me gently. He blinked a few times, as if blinking back tears before smiling.

"You're the best husband, the best friend, the best pet, and best man I have ever met, Hannibal." He said softly. His words formed a lump in my throat and I swallowed against it, but I still felt weak and exhausted, so a few tears slipped out and Akin made a noise that was a cross between a croon and a whimper. He cupped my face, brushing the tears away with his thumbs before he leaned down to kiss me.

If anyone could bring me out of the darkness, it was Akin. If anyone could love me this much, it was Akin. I closed my eyes and tilted my head up to kiss him back. Akin smiled and proceeded to make up for several long, long weeks of us being apart.

By the time we fell asleep, my body was warm and achy, but I was comfortably snuggled down under the blankets, arms around Akin's waist as I listened to his light breathing, his hand buried in my hair. I allowed a smile to pass across my lips that I pressed against Akin's abdomen, drifting off to sleep slowly.

However, the moment I closed my eyes, an instant bad feeling swept over me and my eyes flashed open again. I tilted my head up, listening to the sounds around me. The distant whispering and crashing of waves on the rocks outside the window, Akin's soft breathing, the strange ringing in your ears when it gets unbearably silent. I reached out with my powers, feeling for something menacing, something dangerous, but I couldn't pick up on anything.

I settled slowly back down on the bed, but my moment of relief, relaxation, and comfort was gone now as the sense of foreboding hung over my head.