First: So, Who Are You?.
Previous: Anything She Wants
“How does that feel?”

Blaecleah shifted his weight on his knees, shifted his hands behind his neck, and twisted to look up at his – err. At Niobe. “Exposed,” he admitted. “Ah, um… kinda like puppet strings being tugged. Not bad…” He shook his head, feeling weird as his neck moved against his hands. “Just different. Vulnerable.”

“Rather.” She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at him. “You look very good like that, I have to say. And it wouldn’t be out of the range of my power to leave you like that for, say, an hour every evening.”

“I can think of a lot worse ways to spend an hour.” Blaecleah’s mouth was going to be the death of him.

“And many of them I could probably do. Do you understand?”

“I get that you control me. Sedge showed that pretty well.” Yep, definitely gonna kill him. “I mean, I know I got in over my head already.”

She frowned. Crap, crap, crap. Blaecleah backpedaled. “I’m sorry. I know, you just want to make sure I understand, right?” Please?

Niobe’s expression softened, and she patted his head. Blaecleah found himself leaning into the touch, and tried to pull away. “It’s more than just controlling you – or, at least, it’s more than just making you follow orders. It’s going to twist your brain around, too. It’s going to make you want to make me happy.”

She cradled his face in both hands. Blaecleah found himself looking up into her eyes and swallowing against sudden panic. “It’s not all bad, though.” Carefully, as if afraid he would break, she placed a kiss on his lips.

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First: So, Who Are You?.
Previous: Orientation

I can do almost anything I want to you.

Blaecleah swallowed. “Okay.” It really wasn’t okay. On the other hand, he was sort of past the deciding point on this one. “Okay, so this is why it’s supposed to be hard to handle.”

“Yeah.” Niobe opened her eyes. “Yeah, that’s why it’s hard to handle. What you gave up when you took Sedge’s bet, you gave up free will. Freedom at all. Choice. Until your term is up.”

“That’s…” terrifying. “A bit intimidating.”

“It ought to be. We’re almost to my room, come on. We can handle the hard stuff inside.”

“There’s harder stuff?”

The sound she made could only be called a laugh because he didn’t want to call it a bark. “Depends on your point of view, I suppose. But yeah, it’s probably safe to say there’s harder stuff.” She squeezed his hand, a gentle sort of squeeze. “Man, I did not sign up for this.”

Blaecleah swallowed around a lump of guilt. “I’m sorry. It was just, he pricked my pride…”

“…and he wants something I can offer, and used you to get it. Oh, don’t – look, if I say ‘don’t worry,’ it’s never an order, okay?”

“Okay?” He was still trying to work on the concept that she could order him not to worry, and have it work.

“-don’t worry, you were well and truly set up. This isn’t your fault.”

Despite the don’t worry not being an order (whether or not the world ought to work that way), he found her reassurance a little calming. “Thanks.”

“Look, this doesn’t haven’t to be horrible or anything. As a matter of fact, the general goal is for it to not be horrible.” She swung open a door. “Come on in. This will be your room, too, for as long as I’m Keeping you.”

Blaecleah looked around. He’d shared a room his whole life, in the creche, but… “There’s only one bed.” It was a big bed. But still.

“That there is. Kneel.” She barely waited for his knees to start obeying the order. “Take off your shirt and then put your hands behind your head. There. How does that feel?”

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Next: Not All Bad

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First: So, Who Are You?.
Previous: Bridge…

“Still here.” Sedge was still smiling, even if he was complaining.

“I know. But we’re leaving.” Niobe gave Blaecleah’s hand another squeeze. “Come on, kiddo.”

“Kiddo?”

“Probably not the best nickname, sorry. Come on, Blaecleah.”

“I could…”

“Later, Sedge. You’ve given me something to think about, and so right now, I’m going to think about this lovely gift.” She moved from an amble to a swift walk; Blaecleah had no trouble keeping up, at least.

“Where are we… oh. Your room, right?” He swallowed. “Can I talk?”

“You’re talking, aren’t you?”

“Um, yeah, but you didn’t say I could.”

“More importantly at the moment, I didn’t say you couldn’t. Yes. Yes, you can talk. And yes, we’re going to my room.”

“Thanks. I – I’ve never done this before.”

“I’d be surprised if you had. You can’t be Kept before you’re an adult, except here, and here is… weird.”

“Here is weird.” That was something they could agree on, that was for sure.

She paused – halfway down the stairs. Blaecleah stumbled but managed to catch himself before he jerked on her arm. “Why did you agree to the collar, Blaecleah?”

He swallowed. “It was kind of dumb.”

“I’m not saying it wasn’t. But why?”

“He said I was soft. That I wouldn’t survive here.”

“Aah.” She started walking again. “That makes sense.”

“It does?” He hurried to catch up, feeling the way she was holding his hand like a leash – oh, dead gods, leashes…

“I’d have done the same thing. Pride gets people into messes sense would never allow – and now I’m quoting one of my mothers, look what you’ve done.”

“I’m, ah, sorry?” He coughed. One of my mothers? Damn, he didn’t have any, and she had more than one?

“Don’t be. I mean.” She stopped again. At least this time they were on a level surface. “That wasn’t an order.”

“Hunh? Oh. Oh! Can you… can you do that?”

“Yeah. She closed her eyes for a minute. “I can do almost anything I want to you, kid, and the almost is because we’re here.”

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First: So, Who Are You?.
Previous: Baking Out & Walking In

“For the rest of the school year, Blaecleah, you belong to Niobe cy’Fridmar sh’Aelfgifu.”

“For the rest of the school year, Blaecleah, you Belong to me.” It was like déjà vu, except the rising panic in his chest. Blaecleah nodded, finding that his throat was too tight for him to speak. Niobe looked down at him, a frown creasing her lips. What had he done? “Come with me. Stand up and come with me. Here.” She held out her hand.

Blaecleah stared at the hand for a moment. What was he… oh. He set his hand on top of hers, very carefully, in case that wasn’t the right thing to do.

She clasped his hand, so either it was the right thing, or she was willing to let it pass. Tension slid off of Blacleah’s shoulders. Okay, he’d done something right. Step one.

“We’re going to go to my room. Has Sedge explained anything at all to you?”

“…no?” Was that the right answer?

“I didn’t have all that much time, ‘Obe,” Sedge protested. “I just got him, and then I brought him to you.”

“I know, I know. For your deal. Okay, Sedge, we’ll talk later. Start shopping around, see what you want, all right?”

Shopping… Blaecleah shivered. Right. For a girl, or, theoretically, a guy. Like he’d shopped around for Blaecleah.

“Easy.” Niobe gave his hand a squeeze. “It’s not fun, the first couple days, but it gets easier.”

“I don’t need easy. It’s just new.”

“I know, I know.” She reached over with her free hand to pat him on the shoulder. She was, he realized, not really all that tall, if you discounted the horns. “But there’s no reason for me to make it hard on you, just because Sedge was being… ridiculous.”

“Did he really talk me into a collar just to get you in bed?”

“This is Addergoole, kid. Stranger things have been known to happen.”

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Next: Orientation

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First: So, Who Are You?.
Previous: Change of Plans

Niobe was looking at him. Sedge was looking at him. And he was still on his knees. What do you say, ‘Obe? What was she going to say? Blaecleah’s heart was in his throat.

She sighed. “He’s a lovely boy. You really grabbed him just for…?”

“Don’t get me wrong, guys are okay in my book, but I prefer guys who prefer me, if you know what I mean. Or girls. Or…”

“We get the point. We get the point. Blaecleah, what do you think about it?”

“I’m not trying to back out of the deal. He said I couldn’t handle a year under the collar. I can handle it!” The words tumbled out over each other. He took a breath, finding he needed it. “I’m not trying to get out of the deal.”

“Trust me, kid, this isn’t going to be getting out of the deal. You’re still going to be under the collar for a year. It’s going to be my collar – but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be an easy ride or anything.”

Blaecleah swallowed. “I could…” She was a very cute girl. But he was Sedge’s. That was the agreement he’d made. She was a very cute girl. “It involves…”

“It might. It might not. But if it does, it’ll be with your consent.” Her mouth did something sort of like a smile. “I’m not a monster, at least. It’s not going to be torture, even if it’s not going to be easy.”

“I have a choice?”

“You have choices. I’m not going to take you from Sedge if you don’t agree. The whole point of the deal was agreement, after all.”

“You…” Was he really considering this? It’d been easier the first time. He swallowed again. “Why?”

“Well, we can talk about that if you say yes. If you say no – my reasons are gonna be your smallest concern.”

“Hunh.” Sedge wasn’t going to be happy if he said no, was he? Sedge had picked him up for a bet. He’d – what, lost the bet anyway? “Why do you want me?”

“Color me curious. I want to know what someone’s like who walks into it willingly.”

The lump in Blaecleah’s throat was never going to go away. “Guess I’ll walk into it willingly again.”

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Next: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/740737.html Bridge.

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First: So, Who Are You?.
Previous: Think Before You Deal

Do you want him?

Blaecleah stood. Tried to stand. “Hey! Hey, that wasn’t the deal! That wasn’t what I agreed to.” He was still kneeling. Damnit. He tried to stand again. Failed again. “I agreed to be yours.”

“Shh. Steady.” Sedge dropped a hand on his shoulder. His hand was warm and soft, big. Blaecleah shifted his weight from knee to knee.

“This wasn’t what I agreed to.” This time his voice was quiet. He sounded like a kid. That’s not what he wanted, either. “We had a deal. You don’t think I can hack it?”

“I’m pretty sure you could. But you don’t give off the vibe of being into guys – are you?”

Into. “Is this whole place about sex?”

“Well, yeah.” Sedge laughed. “I mean, there’s magic and classes, too, but yeah, really. We’re teenagers and there’s a world to repopulate. This place has a lot of sex.” He tapped the back of Blaecleah’s neck. “This, being Mine, it’s generally a lot about sex.”

Blaecleah twisted to look up at Tall Guy. Sedge. “I. Um. I dunno. Never done sex. Might like guys?”

“Look at ‘Obe and tell me if you’d rather do her or do me.”

He found his head turning, found himself looking Niobe up and down. Blushing. “Um. Her. But she just said…”

“There’s ways around that. So. You think you can handle a year under her collar? She’s not gonna be easy on you because she’s a girl, you know. The collar’s gonna be tough no matter who you wear it under.”

Blaecleah managed a laugh. “Sounds like you’re trying to sell me on this.” He paused. He swallowed, but the thought wouldn’t go away. “Or just sell me.’

“Does sound like you’re trying to convince him more than me.” Niobe’s hand landed on Blaecleah’s shoulder. “Which is fair. What do you say, Blaecleah?”

“I’m not trying to back out of the deal.” It felt like the ground was falling out from under him. “I’m not. I can handle it. I said I could handle it.”

“I believe you, kid. I do. What do you say, ‘Obe?”

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First – “So, Who are You?”
Previous – Bug

Graduation Requirements? Blaecleah looked between Sedge-too-tall and ‘Obe-Horned-person. The conversation just kept getting weirder, and all he really knew was that he had dived in way over his head way too fast.

And ‘Obe was sighing. “Some day…” The frown was morphing into a smile. “Some day, Sedge, you’ll learn to figure out your deals before you make them. So. Yes, I can help you find a nice girl to help you with the requirements.”

“That’s not what you said! That’s not…”

“Well, we didn’t shake on it nor did either of us promise, for one.” She shifted her weight to her front foot and ticked off points on her fingers. “So I’m under no obligation. For second, I didn’t say I’d do the deed with you – I’ve never said I’d do the deed.”

Sedge’s expression darkened. “It’s not like I’m ugly.”

Wait, what? Blaecleah looked back and forth between them. Were they talking about…

“No.” The smile slipped for a moment. “You’re certainly not. It’s just that I have two more years after this, and this is your last year, and I just don’t want to, right now.”

Sedge sighed, the sort of put-upon full body sigh that Blaecleah had seen younger kids do when they were told they could’t have ice cream before dinner. “Fine. So… you’ll help? Just not… help?“

Were they really still talking about… well, and if they were? People had weirder euphemisms.

“Well, you did manage to get the Easter Egg. I really didn’t think you’d be able to pull that off. So, yeah. I’ll help with the grad requirements.”

Something went a little limp in too-tall-Sedge. “Thanks, Niobe.”

Niobe! That was a more reasonable name than ‘Obe. And she was smiling a sort of sad older-sister smile. “You had reasonable expectation that I would help you, even if your listening skills are in doubt. What are you going to do with the kid, now?”

With the… she meant him. Blaecleah looked up at Sedge. There was a feeling in his throat like he was going to puke, and he didn’t understand why.

The look on the tall guy’s face didn’t help, either. He looked down at Blaecleah and sighed, all put-upon no-ice-cream again. “Damn, I don’t know. Do you want him?”

Next – Change of Plans

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After So, Who Are You?.

The halls seemed more empty than normal; it seemed as if Tall Guy was dragging Blaecleah down a viewing gallery to his execution.

He went where he was dragged, because Tall Guy had a very firm grip, and because he wasn’t sure that he could go the other way if he wanted to, even if Tall Guy let go.

Was that Master Tall Guy? Nah, that only happened in the stories. Well, mostly in the stories. He hadn’t been really sure about the collars, until D.J. had brought that skinny skinny girl around with the shiny gold collar. So maybe he just hadn’t read the right books? Maybe the creche library had been holding out on him…

“Here.” Tall Guy came to an abrupt stop, quick enough that Blaecleah kept moving. Somehow he found that momentum used to push him in front of Tall Guy, the grip on his arm traded for a grip on both shoulders. “See, ‘Obe? I told you.”

“‘Obe” was probably the woman – girl? – horned person in front of them, taller than Blaecleah by an inch, blonde and stunning with sun-burnished bronze skin. She looked as if Tall Guy had just handed her a bug, like they were kids on the playground.

Being the bug, Blaecleah found, was far less fun than handing the bug to someone else.

“‘Here?'” ‘Obe looked Blaecleah up and down. “It’s a first-year student, Sedge, well done.”

“Kneel.”

“Wha-” Blaecleah dropped to his knees. “Oh.”

Niobe sighed. “Sedge…”

“Tell her what happened, honestly.”

“What happened? I mean, you said you thought I was soft and dared me to take a year as yours.”

“And you knew what that entailed?”

“I know what being Kept is, doesn’t everyone?”

“See, ‘Obe? You said if I could get someone to willingly agree to the collar, you’d help me with the graduation requirements.”

Next: Think Before You Deal

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“So who are you?”

Blaecleah had been answering that question all day. Some people said it like an invitation, some people said it like a challenge. Some people said it like he was in their space – like this guy, too tall and too lean and with too white of teeth.

“I’m Blaecleah. Who are you?” It was a novel situation; before now, everyone had known him and he’d known everyone.

Instead of answering, too-tall just grinned. “Hah. I like you.” He grabbed Blaecleah’s arm – he tried to grab Blaecleah’s arm, seemed unsurprised when Blaecleah dodged, and somehow managed to get a hand on him anyway. “Very nice. Creche kid?”

“Yeah, what of it?” Blaechleah blinked up at the guy. The grip was too tight to break with a simple twist; did he need to start a fight?

“You guys are always tougher than the ones of us from outside. Sort of. Tougher and softer at the same time.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He shifted his body as far as too-tall’s grip would allow, and got his feet into fighting stance.

The guy just grinned even wider. “Look at you. Ready to knock my teeth in. And yet you’ve never lived a day without electricity in your life, have you?”

The creche was in the Village; the Village was within Addergoole’s wards. “No? Why should I?”

“Because you won’t be in the creche forever.”

“Obviously. I’m here now.”

“You are. And how will you survive here?”

Blaecleah looked around. “That’s a joke, right?” Soft carpeting, paneled walls – down here, you’d never know there’d even been an apocalypse.

“Is it?”

“Oh, you’re a barrel of laughs.”

“Look.” Too-tall did something, and then he was holding both of Blaecleah’s arms. “You’re quick, and you’re a smart-mouth, and that’s a good start. But that’s not gonna be anything but the bare basics, here.”

Blaecleah snorted. “I can take anything you can. I can take absolutely anything you dish out.”

“Oh, really?”

Something in Blaecleah set off alarm bells, but he’d come this far; he wasn’t going to back down now. “Really.”

“Anything.”

“Anything. Duh.”

“Say you’ll belong to me.”

What? Blaecleah glanced away. He’d grown up in the Village; he knew what that meant. He’d seen enough people wander through collared. He scoffed to cover his pause. “That’s the best you got? Sure, I’ll be yours for a year.”

“Then for the next year, you Belong to me, Blaecleah. Come on.”

Head spinning, Blaecleah went where he was tugged.

Next: Bug

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