First: Purchased: Negotiation

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“You know, for some reason I expected you to fight this sort of clothing.”  Mr. MacDiarmad was helping Leander with his bow tie.

He didn’t actually need to help with the bow tie, but Leander wasn’t going to call his Keeper, his Owner, on something like that.

“What, the tux?  If it was something really obvious, I might have complained a little.  But it’s, uh. It’s tailored to me, it’s comfortable, and I will blend in – I mean – not like anyone’s going to see me next to Sylviane, anyway.”  He looked away from Mr. MacDiarmad’s eyes as he thought about that dress, the way it fit her, the way – He shook his head.

“Strong fighter types I’ve known usually hate bothering with their appearance.”  Mr. MacDiarmad, as it turned out, was wearing a really expensive-looking tuxedo out of something shimmering. He looked a little bit fancy. Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation

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“A very attack dog,” Sylviane commented, as her hands brushed over Leander’s horns. She was exploring his Change more kindly, more gently than he could ever remember anyone doing before. But.

He chuckled, shifted a bit. He liked the way she touched him. Something about the way she said attack… “Your dog,” he clarified. “Your hound.”

“Mmm. My Leander,” she murmured softly. She wrapped her arms around him, pressed a kiss to his forehead, kissed the edge of one of his ears. “Thank you.”

“Thank… why?” He blinked at her in bafflement.

“Because I can see why – I can see why you might not want to show me this. So thank you. I know you didn’t have to.”

She closed her eyes. Leander wanted to make a comment about how, if she wanted to see him, she should look, but he stayed quiet.

When she opened her eyes, it was as if she had opened his eyes, too. Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation

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“I know you wear this.”  Sylviane ran her finger around the outside of Leander’s collar.  He stayed frozen. He couldn’t come up with another option.  He wasn’t sure if he had thought of something else, he’d have been able to do it. “I know why.  I know you’ve been wearing someone’s collar for a long time.”  Her hand settled on his shoulder.  Leander thought about breathing again. “But – but that’s not you, and you are not a dog.” Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation

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“This is what you have in mind? You picked this out all by yourself?”

Leander tensed, because Melody’s tone was the sort of thing she could get away with taking with him, but she wasn’t talking to him, she was talking to Sylviane, and whether or not Leander liked the tone — he didn’t, people shouldn’t talk to her like that — Sylviane wasn’t likely to put up with it.

Was she?

“I’m not twelve.” Sylviane huffed quietly. “Yes.  I picked out these options all by myself, Melody.  The tux for Leander —”

“Rather plain, isn’t it?” Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation

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Normal life did not, Leander was pretty sure, include a girlfriend quite like Sylviane.  It probably did not involve magic lessons three times a week with that girlfriend and her father, who happened to be his owner.  It probably also did not involve not being able to leave your girlfriend’s side, although in the last few months, that had gotten to feel pretty normal.  Sometimes, he and Sylviane would move to opposite sides of that 40-foot tether, often in separate rooms in the house, reading or watching tv or just (as Sylvie liked to say), getting some space.  Other times they couldn’t get enough of each other. 

This week, they were attempting to study for finals, although this was being interrupted by Melody, who seemed intent on getting all of Leander’s measurements again, as well as measuring Sylviane twice.  “There’s a charity event coming up in a week.  Mr. MacDiarmed expects you both to be there, to be properly attired, and to make a good showing.”

“He also expects – ow! that’s a pin! – me to make a ‘good showing’ on my finals, which I can’t do when you’re putting me full of pins.  Other girls go shopping for their dresses.” Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation

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“Finally getting the hang of it, you think?”

Sylviane and Leander headed out of the fifth of the five classes she was – they were – taking this semester. 

Leander pinched the top of his nose.  “I’m getting there,” he admitted.  “Uh.  Office hours.  Is that really a thing people do?  I mean, like, do you-“

Dead gods help him.  He was starting to sound like Inka.

“I do.  Not every one, but generally at least one a week.  We can do more if you think you need it.” Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation

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“Really kidnapped?”  Inka had said that, asked it, at least four times already, and they weren’t even to class yet. 

Leander was beginning to think the big problem wasn’t going to be surviving classes, it was going to be surviving Inka. 

“Well, I mean, obviously not actually kidnapped, because Leander stopped them.”  Sylviane patted Leander on the arm with obvious affection and something like gratitude, which made sense, when he was pretending to be her boyfriend. 

Just doing my job. 

He couldn’t say that to Inka, who was looking at him with wide eyes. Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation

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“I want to see you,” she murmured in his ear.  

Leander blinked sleepily at Sylviane.  The blankets had ended up on the floor.  The pillows had ended up somewhere else – the couch over there, he thought. 

“I’m right here,.”  He’d never been more naked with someone, he thought.  Unless she wanted into his mind, which – 

which maybe he would not mind all that much, as long as she stayed out of the dark places.  “I can’t be much more naked,” he joked.

“I want to see you,” she murmured.  “Your Mask down, your face.  The way you really look “ Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation

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Leander was smiling, even though he wasn’t totally sure this wasn’t going to blow up in his face.  Things did, even when everything was planned out with the best intentions.  And he was – if not certain, that was too much to ask, he was pretty damn sure Sylviane had the best intentions. 

“I think,” he murmured, leaning over so he could let his breath brush across her ear and lowering his voice even more, “that”… if you want a real statistical sample, well, you ought to get more than one baseline measurement, yeah?”

She chuckled at him.  “Oh, absolutely.  But let’s start with one? Since we can’t do them simultaneously – unless you have some unforeseen ability to Work with time that would be amazing, but really, really out there-“ Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation

Content warning in this case – discussion of consent, the lack thereof, and of rape.  Some more.

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He walked into Sylviane’s room to find her back to him, her naked back to him. 

He cleared his throat.  “I can- ah.  Wait…”

“Oh!”  She turned slowly to look at him.  She was, yes, completely naked. 

He wondered what she looked like without a Glamour on, without the Mask that made fae look human.  

Then he decided she looked gorgeous and he was being foolish wondering anything else.  Continue reading →