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Cal’s breath hitched, and for a second, Roy feared he had overstepped.

“We wouldn’t want that,” he purred, guiding Roy’s hands to his hips. “Anything else?”

Roy’s necklace dangled just above Cal’s face, swinging like a tiny pendulum and bumping the miniature dimple at the tip of his nose. “Can I finish inside you? Or do you want me to pull out?”

“Give me every last drop,” Cal answered, angling his head to steal a kiss.

Nuzzling his face into the crook of Cal’s neck, Roy let out a disbelieving laugh. “You’ll kill me one day.”

“Just a little.”

“Right. Let me get the ropes, then.” Roy shifted, pulling himself out of the pod.

“Ahem.” AVOS’ artificial voice crackled in the speakers. The ceiling panel opened, and two metal arms fell, holding a silver tray.

Roy narrowed his eyes, and when realisation hit him like a shockwave, he prayed the Void would swallow him right there. Or, even better, for a short circuit somewhere in the AI’s structural cores.

“May I interest you, gentlemen, in some safer choices? The nylon rope you have in storage is hardly a suitable material for… your evening plans.”

“Why do you have bondage rope, for Aether’s sake?” Roy whined.

“Well, I was predominantly built for married couples, remember?” AVOS chirped. One hand whirred, depositing a spool of soft, red rope into Roy’s lap. Then it returned to the tray and, to Roy’s utmost horror, brought a clear, squishable flacon of lube. “There’s more in the storage—just ask if you need anything.”

“I need you to go away,” Roy grumbled, snatching the bottle. “And stop being a creep.”

“Don’t be mean,” Cal muttered, then continued louder, “Thank you, AVOS.”

“At your service!” AVOS disappeared into the ceiling.

“That dumb robot.” Roy sighed. He had to admit, though, that the rope was much softer than the scratchy one in the storage.

Like on instinct, Cal flipped onto his belly, crossing his arms on the small of his back. His sides inflated with a deep breath as Roy tightened the first loop around his wrists.

“There shouldn’t be any tingling or pain.” Roy’s fingers worked quickly, with a practised ease. He improvised a knot, unyielding and easy to release, merging the nautical training with the insistent care for Cal’s safety. “Stretch your fingers?”

“Feels good,” Cal murmured into the pillow, his fingers kneading the air.

“It’s only starting to.” Leaving a trail of kisses along the nape of Cal’s neck, Roy nudged him to sit on his heels. Then, he continued his braiding, wrapping the rope around Cal’s torso, creating a soft cage. The rope dug into Cal’s milky flesh, scraping the sensitive skin.

“Alright,” Roy said after finishing his work of art. He hooked his fingers on the strengthened line of knots that traced Cal’s sternum. “Relax.”

Cal blinked. “Huh?”

Staring into the purple shades of Cal’s eyes, Roy said, his voice surprisingly low, “Lean back. Let the ropes hold you.”

“O—okay.” Cal slowly released the tension in his muscles, his whole weight soon hanging from Roy’s hand. He let out a shaky breath, or maybe a laugh. “Wow.”

“That’s my good boy.” Roy winced immediately, but in the moment, Cal seemed to be enchanted by the cringiest of lines.

“Yes,” Cal chanted when Roy’s thumbs dug into his thighs, folding him up. “Roy⁠—”

The rest of his words shattered as Roy’s tongue pressed against the tender flesh of his entrance. He squirmed, as if he was trying both to escape and to push back against the tongue that worked him open.

Without asking, Roy flipped him again, then grabbed him by his hips and pulled his perfectly round ass up. Flicking the bottle of lube open, Roy patted Cal’s bound hands, rubbing the warm fingertips. “Anything you’d like to tell me?”

“Just fuck me already.”

Chapter