Today, February 14th, I, Ashura Matello Ketchum, am twenty-two now. The light was soft in their new Sinnoh apartment, the early pink of dawn seeping through gauzy curtains. The aroma of brewed black tea and sweet persimmon toast wafted from the kitchen. Paul had left a note next to the breakfast tray on our shared nightstand:

Happy Birthday, Baby. I wish I could stay, but the morning shift called. Save me a slice of that tart. I'll be thinking about you all day.

I smiled at the note, but it didn't last. His birthday, now tied to Valentine's Day, had become more than roses and celebration. It was the day I was born, Ashton Ketchum. A name I had finally let go.

My ringing Dex on the dresser broke my reflection. Professor Oak.

"Professor," Ashura answered, voice groggy.

"Happy Birthday, Ash!" Oak greeted warmly, then corrected himself. "Ashura. Sorry, still getting used to that."

"It's okay. Thank you."

Oak's voice turned serious. "I wanted to give you a few updates. Things in Pallet... Well, they're not ideal."

I straightened in bed. "What's going on?"

"Gary is... not doing well. He's been isolating. Not even working at the lab anymore. I think losing your friendship hit him harder than he let on."

I exhaled sharply. "That was his choice. I asked for space. He chose silence."

"I know. But... it might help to say goodbye properly."

"Maybe."

"Ritchie's still around," Oak added carefully. "He's been asking about you. I think... he's having a hard time with your engagement."

"He needs to get over it," I said flatly. "I told him how I felt. He didn't listen."

Oak hesitated, then delivered the blow: "Your mother found out about the name change. She's out of the hospital. And... she's not taking it well."

I felt his chest tighten.

"Thanks for letting me know," he said quietly. "I'll be coming to Pallet. Three days. Just to collect my Pokémon and have some closure."

"Do you want me to..."

"No," I interrupted. "This is something I need to finish. For me."

"Are you sure?"

"Only to collect my Pokémon, transfer them to the new Sanctuary in Sinnoh... and to say what needs to be said. To Gary. To Richie. And to her."

"Are you out of your mind?" Paul demanded.

Paul wasn't happy about the plan. "Three days in Pallet without me, surrounded by your past and people who don't know when to let go? Yeah, Ash, that sounds great."

"I need to do this. I have to let go of them before we get married. For my peace."

"Then I should be there."

Aaron stepped in gently. "You can't. You have work. I already took the time off. I'll go with him. I won't let anything happen. I promise."

Paul didn't like it. But he trusted Aaron. After a tense silence, he nodded. "Bring him home."

Once in Kanto, we checked into the Pokemon Center in Verdian City and walked to where I was born with a name I was controlled with. We had both our Pikachu on their shoulders, who Paul insisted we take on this trip, and Pikachu agreed. The sun hung low over Pallet Town, bathing its familiar streets in warm orange hues. The scent of pines mixed with fresh-cut grass. I hadn't been here in a long time, not since my life unraveled and stitched itself back together in Sinnoh. But I wasn't the same person anymore—and neither was my family. Dad walked beside me, firm, protective, his eyes scanning the sleepy town like a seasoned knight entering hostile territory. The moment we stepped off the path and passed the gate into the main road, Delia Ketchum appeared.

Her hair, once neatly pulled back in a motherly bun, was frizzed at the ends, curls unkempt, and her hospital bracelet still hung loosely around her pale wrist. Her gaze latched onto me like a hook sinking into flesh.

Aaron moved instinctively in front of me, HIS son. Delia looked unwell—haggard, gaunt, desperate.

"Ashy baby..." she crooned, arms outstretched. "You came back."

I instinctively took a step back, and Aaron immediately placed a steady hand on my shoulder.

"Don't," Aaron warned sharply. "You're not allowed near him."

"Don't you block me from my son, Aaron!"

"He's not here for you, Delia."

"You turned him against me! You and that... that man of his! He was my baby!"

"You lost that right when you started hurting him."

Delia lunged, fingers reaching, but Aaron caught her wrist.

"Don't touch him," Aaron growled. "Ashura is not yours to torment anymore."

Her eyes darted to Aaron, burning with hatred. "You poisoned my baby against me, you freak! He used to be sweet, obedient—!"

Aaron stepped forward, body bristling. "He used to be scared and broken. Now he's strong. And he's not yours anymore."

Delia's hands shook, and her shriek cracked through the air. "You bitch! You ruined—!"

She lunged.

I barely had time to react before Dad shoved her back, catching her by the wrists and twisting her arms behind her. "Get her away from him!"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Officer Jenny and a nurse sprinting toward them from a black van parked near the Oaks' lab.

"We've got her—she escaped two days ago," the nurse called, breathless. "A woman named Pamela Mason broke her out. They manipulated a security guard."

Delia screamed, breaking down as security from the nearby center came running. She was restrained and sedated before I could even get a word in. The last thing she said was his name—the wrong one.

"Ashton..."

Ashura looked away. "My name is Ashura."

I stared at who I once called my mother, pinned and struggling as Jenny handcuffed her. Her eyes were wild. "ASH! I'm still your mother! You'll come crawling back when he hurts you—they always do!"

"I'm not coming back," I said softly, voice hard as steel. "Ever."

The next day, reached Professor Oak's lab minutes later, the sun now dipping behind the hills. As the glass doors slid open, Gary stood in the hallway with the professor. The lab was quiet when he arrived. Familiar. Professor Oak was waiting, and beside him, Gary stood with his arms crossed.

"You came," Gary muttered.

"Not for you."

"Then why? To gloat? To parade around like some champion?"

I didn't stop walking. "I need my Pokémon."

Professor Oak smiled gently. "They're waiting in the habitat. Just say the word."

Gary sneered. "You think you're better than me now?"

"No. I think I just stopped caring about proving anything to you. Goodbye, Gary."

"So, you came back because that asshole dumped you" Gary mocked.

"No. To close a chapter. Gary, we were friends once, but never truly lovers. Rivals. But somewhere along the way you started hurting me more than helping me. I don't need that in my life anymore."

Professor Oak nodded solemnly and began the transfer. One by one, Ashura's Pokémon were moved into secure capsules destined for the Sinnoh Sanctuary. Pikachu gave a soft "Pika..." but Ashura reassured him gently.

"We're going home soon, buddy."

The final day, I already knew would be more difficult and I was ready. I called Richie's Mom yesterday and told her we were coming to talk at Viridian Café.

"So you finally showed up," Richie said.

"I said I would."

"You didn't even say defend me."

"I told you where my heart was."

Richie stepped forward. "You chose him. Paul. After everything he did to his Pokémon. After what happened to Sparky—"

I narrowed my eyes. "What exactly did he do, Ritchie? Sparky picked a fight and neither Paul or I were there."

"You don't see it. He brainwashed you."

"What did you just say?" I said trying not to lose my cool in a public place.

Ritchie pointed accusingly. "You're blinded by lust. That guy brainwashed you! This isn't love—it's some kind of manipulation!"

"No," Ashura said, standing firm. "He helped me become myself. He never once told me who I had to be or belong to or tell me who I should be with."

"So you'll just abandon your friends?" Ritchie snapped.

"No," Ash said. "I'm letting go of the ones who abandoned me first."

Ritchie's jaw tensed. "You're pathetic."

Richie swung before Aaron blocked him. "Don't you touch my son."

"You don't get to call yourself his father, You left him alone!"

"And you don't get to call yourself his friend. Not anymore."

The café staff shouted, and customers gasped. A moment later, a woman's voice sliced through the chaos.

"Ritchie Landon!"

Everyone turned to see Isabel Landon, tall and elegant, striding in with fire in her eyes.

"Mom?!" Ritchie said.

She crossed the floor, heels clacking. "You will not embarrass me in public, and you will not touch or speak to Ashura Ketchum ever again."

"But Mom—"

"You're acting like a rabid Growlithe. And I told you—Reggie Mizuhara is a dear friend. Paul's his brother. You're out of line."

Ritchie looked as if he'd been slapped. Ash's eyes widened.

"You knew Reggie?"

Isabel softened, just slightly. "We were in the same travel league. He's a good man. If his brother is anything like him, then he's lucky to have you."

Ritchie stormed out without another word.

Aaron placed a hand on my shoulder. "Let's go home."

That night, we returned to Sinnoh.

Paul met us at the station and wordlessly pulled me into a tight embrace.

"I missed you," Paul whispered.

"I missed you more."

"I had to tie up loose ends. And cut some off completely," I said into Paul's chest. "She is back in the ward. Aaron kept her off me."

Paul kissed the side of his head. "I would've killed her if she touched you."

I looked up. "And Ritchie...he's gone. It's over. Isabel agreed with me—apparently, she's friends with Reggie."

Paul blinked. "What the hell?"

In bed that night, I told him everything in detail.

Paul listened, jaw clenched during parts, but calm.

"It's over," I said. "The past is done. I did what I needed to. I can breathe now."

Meanwhile, Reggie's phone buzzed. A naked Alain passed it to Reggie.

Caller ID: Isabel.

Reggie: (picks up) "Hey, Isa. Everything alright?"

Isabel: (voice crackles over speaker) "Reggie? We need to talk. About Ashura... and what happened today."

Reggie: (sits up straighter on his couch, expression tightening) "Oh boy... Okay. Lay it on me."

Isabel: "So, it started on Day One. Delia escaped the ward, Reggie. Actually escaped."

Reggie: "What? How?!"

Isabel: "With help from your mom."

Reggie: (groans) "You're kidding."

Isabel: "I wish I was. Apparently, she still thinks Delia's just misunderstood or something. She snuck her out of the building during visiting hours. They made it back to Pallet and—well—She ran into them at the market."

Reggie: "Oh god. That couldn't have gone well."

Isabel: "Aaron lit into your mom. Said she endangered Ashura and everyone else. Told Delia she was never going to be part of Ashura's life again. But the kicker?"

Reggie: "Dare I ask?"

Isabel: "Ashura showed up. And instead of falling apart, they handled it. Like really handled it. Stood tall and told Delia he didn't want her in his life either. Told her he was tired of the manipulation and gaslighting. That he deserved peace."

Reggie: (quietly) "Damn..."

Isabel: "I've never been more proud of him. He even thanked Aaron for standing up for him, and then basically walked away like a queen."

Reggie: "...He's stronger than we ever gave him credit for."

Isabel: "He is."

Reggie: "What happened after?"

Isabel: "Well, Day Two, he officially cut ties with Gary."

Reggie: "Whoa. Gary Gary?"

Isabel: "Yeah. He tried to play the whole 'I was looking out for you' angle, but Ashura called him out on every time he ever guilt-tripped him or used his trauma against him. He told him he didn't need someone who only loved the version of him that stayed broken."

Reggie: (lets out a long breath) "Wow..."

Isabel: "I've never seen Gary so quiet. He just... stood there. I think even he knew he couldn't worm his way back in."

Reggie: "This is... I mean, this is big. He's finally... free, isn't he?"

Isabel: "I think so. Or at least starting to be."

Reggie: "Alright. And Day Three?"

Isabel: "Ritchie."

Reggie: "What did he do?"

Isabel: "He showed up at the café like everything was fine. Ordered his usual and tried to act like the past few years hadn't happened."

Reggie: (rubs his face) "God, that guy has some nerve."

Isabel: "Ashura ignored him at first. But when he called started insulting Paul and accused him of brainwashing and abusing pokemon, he lost it."

Reggie: "Please tell me he didn't break any dishes."

Isabel: "No, but he did give the most public, poetic takedown I've ever heard. Told him he loves Paul with all his heart and Paul returns the favor, didn't forgive him for what he said and undermine his decision when he was the one who who couldn't accept everything properly."

Reggie: "Hot damn."

Isabel: "He left without finishing his coffee. And the café broke into applause."

Reggie: "Is this real life? Is Ashura becoming... a legend?"

Isabel: (chuckles) "He's owning his story now, Reggie. And I think she's finally starting to believe she deserves better."

Reggie: "She always did. I just... I hate that it took all this pain to get her there."

Isabel: "Yeah. But he's not alone anymore. You, me, Tutu, Alain, Aaron, Paul—we're all in his corner now."

Reggie: (smiles faintly) "Yeah. We are."

The conversation with Isabell lingered in Reggie's mind as he looked at the photo of the three of them — me, Paul, and himself — taken just before leaving Pallet. Maybe healing didn't always come loud and angry. Maybe, sometimes, it came quietly, over three long days and a thousand unsaid words.

Cuddled up to him that night, Paul cocooned me in his arms. The sheets wound around us, trapping me there in a net I never wanted to escape. I melted in to him, so content to be back. Comfortably captured. I was all the way on Paul's side of the bed, getting his love and attention like a sweet treasured house pet. I soaked it all up.

"It's good to have you home." Paul said. "You need to keep it that way."

"I couldn't wait to come back...And, you were worried." I teased him, drawing a line down his arm.

"Anything can happen."

"I said I'd be back. No matter where I go, I'll always come back to you."

Paul believed me. But, the hypothetical wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"THIS is where you belong." Paul scolded with an affectionately possessive kiss to my temple. "No more running off without me."

One kiss there turned to many. I could've purred as they rained down my face, turning to heavy suckles the closer he got to my neck.

"Got it?" Paul insisted, dragging me as close as he could get me.

I pulled his face up, pressing my mouth to his, giving a small nod. I curled my leg around Paul's waist, opening my mouth for him.

It took some shifts and tugs, but Paul worked this tight entanglement of bedsheets off of us. He stroked up my thigh, meeting his tongue with mine. Edging down the waist of my pajama bottoms from one hip, Paul squeezed the flesh there directly. The back and forth started slow, getting heavier the longer that hand touched me. The skin of his chest against mine was hot with the same heat as that large, heavy palm. I rolled my hips in to Paul, clutching him with the leg wrapped around his waist. Paul rolled us over, pressing me into the bed without breaking the kiss. I tangled my fingers in his hair when he tried to part, and locked my legs around him. He could have easily broken my grip, but he kept close. I wanted to soak this in as long as we could. Whatever he had to say would wait. His body, however, spoke loud and clear: I missed you. Paul rocked his hips in to me with dry thrusts, mimicking the rhythm I'd set before. I rolled my hips up on to his, meeting his movements. Our slow, heavy kissing sent far too much blood down below.

I was whimpering, tightening my legs around him ready to give any second. Paul pried my legs off him and propped them on his shoulders for a moment. He tugged my pajama bottoms off, pulling them up my legs.

"Three nights." Paul complained, dropping my legs back in place. "How could you do that to me?"

"I didn't want to. I wanted to be here."

"You weren't. It was frustrating in more ways than one."

On the nightstand was a bottle of lube. Paul tended to his own needs in my absence, nursing his arousal with a slick hand that couldn't compare to the tightness my body had to offer. The warmth. The presence.

Paul wasn't a creature of solitude anymore. This large intimidating man craved human touch and companionship just like any other person. And that lucky person he wanted it from was me. I rolled over on to my stomach, pushing my ass up in offering. Paul immediately layered his hands over the spread mounds of flesh. I looked back at him with what sympathy I could muster through a lustful gleam because I wanted him just as badly as he wanted me.

"Whatever you want." I told him.

"Whatever I want?"

"Anything."

Would he tie me up? Spank me? Paddle me? Whip me? Get the toys? The restraints? The options excited me.

Paul reached for the bedside table. He popped the cap to the lube.

"I'm just taking you now. As is." He decided, far too worked up not to dive right in. "Tomorrow, I have bigger plans."

Paul wouldn't tell me what the big plans were. Not until the morning of. I took my shower, coming out toweled off to find Paul ready for work. Today I was home for the day and went looking for something comfortable to wear.

At the dresser, I opened a drawer. Paul immediately shut it on me.

"What are you-"

Something went around my neck.

"Ah-Ah." He scolded, fastening my collar in to the place. "This is all you're wearing today."

"...but, I'm naked."

"And, you're going to stay that way until I get home."

...until he gets home? He'd be gone for hours.

"Can I least have underwear?" I asked, touching the drawer that had them.

Paul quirked a sharp brow. Razor sharp. He seamlessly shifted from my fiancé to my owner.

"M-Master, please..." I quickly took my hands off the dresser, holding them in front of me obediently. "Just underwear. I-I won't ask for anything else."

He considered it, staring at me with his cold leer; making me second-guess my request. I'm going to get spanked right here aren't I?

Paul opened the top drawer, pulling out a pair of black bikini briefs.

"There." He set them on top of the dresser. "Matches your collar."

"..."

With there being no way I was going to ask for a different pair, I just pulled them on, more comfortable with the sliver of modesty. It wasn't much but my dick and ass were away, at the very least.

I still felt completely naked. The way Paul looked at me when I wore these, it was almost worse than just being entirely bare ass.

"When are you coming home?" I asked.

"That's none of your business." Paul shut the drawer with a firm push.

He nearly slammed it. I shivered at the abrupt drop in his voice. Something just short of a scolding. I felt out of line.

Am I in trouble? Why am I in trouble?

"But, you always tell me-"

"I'm not giving you the chance to pull a fast one over on me." Paul explained with a blatant warning. "If I come home and catch you dressed, we're going to have a problem."

Paul could have been called in to cover someone's morning shift today. To work his own usual shift. Or, he could be working until closing. There was no way to know on a Saturday unless he told me. It always changed.

I really couldn't put any clothes on. He could walk in that door any second.

"I'm not going to get dressed." I promised. "Uh, one thing though...could you just make sure the balcony shades in the living room are closed before I go out there? Please?"

To prevent the neighbors from seeing anything they really didn't need to be seeing, Paul closed the shades for me. But, mostly for himself.

"Prying eyes aren't welcome here." Paul sniffed in distaste. "You're for my eyes only."

He checked his watch.

"I have to go. Be good while I'm gone."

I leaned up to kiss him. Paul tugged on my collar, holding it tight with me perched at the tip of my toes.

"I mean it. Be good." He warned. "Remember that stunt you pulled on Christmas Eve?"

I nodded, getting warm under the collar at Paul's narrowed coal stare.

"Mess this up and you'll be punished twice as bad." He threatened.

"N-No clothes. Got it."

"And, you better answer that dex when its me. Or, you're going to pay for it."

Paul finally kissed me and left. I went about my day, cleaning and lounging how I usually did but with a faint edge to this Saturday indoors. I was spraying down the bathroom mirror when my dex went off in the bedroom.

I dropped the cleaner and rag, running to answer it. I practically leaped over the bed.

"You follow orders." Paul praised me. "Now. Take a picture."

"...a picture?"

"You heard me. Right now, while I'm on the line."

Me, in a moment of naivety, asked what I was supposed to be taking a picture of.

"What do you think?" Paul countered. "Prove you're following my rules."

I'd never taken a picture of myself undressed before. I hesitated. Paul's voice got that icy steel edge to it.

"You better not be dressed." He threatened.

"I-I'm not!" I got defensive. "I've just never taken a picture like this before... you know, with nothing on."

"Only I'm going to see it." Paul promised, more forgiving. "Now, don't make me tell you again."

I took a picture in the mirror from the neck down, showing that wasn't dressed. I couldn't bring myself to have my face in it. Paul approved, none the less.

"What a good sexy boy." The husky drawl made me squirm. "Master likes that."

"I'm sorry I made you wait..."

"Don't let it happen, again."

He hung up without another word.

Throughout the day, Paul messaged me for proof I was being good. I only had so much time to react or he'd tally it as misbehaving. I avoided that, actually scared he'd put my ass through the ringer.

He'd have me all to himself here, with enough privacy to really make me sorry if I messed up. Pushing Paul's patience is all fun and games until it isn't.

Following orders was simple enough. However, Paul's antics quickly escalated. He began asking for saucier photos. I felt out of my element posing for explicit pictures, even if my face wasn't in them and he was the only one who'd see them.

On the floor in front of the full-length mirror that Paul needed to see all of himself, I sat on my knees. Back to the mirror and legs spread, I took a photo from over my shoulder. It was from my lips down, giving Paul just a glimpse of my face looking back towards the mirror.

I stared at the picture after I sent it, not having had the time to scrutinize it beforehand. Paul wanted it, and he wanted it NOW.

It didn't look bad at all...it was a great picture for an amateur. Paul was sure to tell me how much he liked it on his break.

"Do you have any idea how badly I want to put my cock in that cute little mouth of yours?" Was his throaty growl. "Gag you on it until those big brown eyes puddle up. Get those lips nice and swollen."

My apparent cute little mouth fell open at the explicit vulgarity. And, my big brown eyes nearly bugged out of my skull. Could anyone hear him? I'd just about die next time I went to eat at the diner.

"Y-You're at work!" I sputtered, quite alarmed. "Shh!"

"I'm on break, in the car." He corrected, calm and leisurely. "I'm parked in the back of the lot. No one can hear me."

"Start the call with that, next time!"

Paul clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

"I don't take the orders here. That's a strike."

"..."

The heavy pause on my end made Paul chuckle. It was a dark, amused sound.

"First one." He said.

"I was good all day..." I complained. "You scared me. That shouldn't be a strike."

"Even the best pets mess up. Someone has to hold them accountable."

I whined, but didn't push the issue. That would just earn me another strike.

"Master still loves you." Paul told me.

I smiled when he said it. The strike didn't matter anymore.

"I love you, too."

"You're Master's favorite thing in the world, you know that?"

"You're my favorite, too." I blushed. "I wouldn't want anyone else."

"Perfect. Because you're not getting anyone else. They'd have to get through me."

Not that I ever wanted a world where I was done with Paul and found someone else. But, I could see him being the person who thwarts new suitors. I felt sorry for the hypothetical guys trying their luck dating me with Paul still hot on my heels.

I wouldn't want to be them. No, Sir. Paul was territorial. Noone could tell him I wasn't his, not even me.

"I miss you already." I said. "I wish you were here."

"Yeah? Master's going to be home before you know it. Be a good boy and wait for me by the door."

Paul was being playful. But, I'm sure he'd be happy to find me that way. So long as he walked through that door and I was home, he was content. That's the way it would always be.

As the hours ticked away, they seemed to stretch out forever. I scrubbed the kitchen floor on my hands and knees as it was the only thing I hadn't cleaned today. Once it was done, I could polish it.

Keys turned in the door mid scrub.

"Hm. Looks who's by the door."

I paused, staring up at Paul with just my eyes. He came in with a bag and the mail, keys dangling from one finger.

I knew that he was due home at some point today. Now that he was here, I didn't know what to say. Or, what to do.

You really should be careful what you wish for. At least know what to do with it if you get it.

"Was expecting a warm greeting from my pet." Paul chided. "Just gonna stare at me, you little thing?"

"Welcome home." I came back to life. "S-Sorry. I was caught off guard...didn't expect you to walk through the door just then."

He loosened his tie, pulling it off. And unbuttoned the top of his shirt, freeing his neck of the tight fit.

"Strike two." He announced bluntly. "Leave that and follow me."

"But, I was going to polish the floor-"

"I said leave it. This belt has your name on it. Unless you want it, I suggest you move."

I obeyed, following along at Paul's ankles. We were in the bathroom. He ran a bath.

"Get in." He ordered while the water poured.

I knew better than to touch my own collar. I took off my underwear, looking for Paul to take off the accessory instead. He shook his head and pointed at the water. I obediently got in with it still on.

"As much as I like a clean house, I can't have dirty pet crawling around."

Crawling around on the kitchen floor like an actual pet wasn't the intention, but in hindsight I saw the issue. I was a little dirty from washing the floors. But, Paul was dirty from work so he got in with me.

"Come here." He sat me between his legs. "I'll clean you off."

Careful of my collar, Paul used a cup to wet me from the shoulders down.

"Did you have a good day at work?"

"Thanks to you, yes." He soaped me up with his hands rougher than usual in a hurry. "Once you're nice and cleaned up, I have something for you."

"You got me something?"

"Wait for me in the room and you'll see."

Clean and dried off before Paul, I sat on the bed. He was in the shower giving himself a quick rinse. When he came in, I brightened only to wither under the look he gave me.

"Down." He ordered.

Shit! I jumped and scrambled to comply, sliding off the bed. In my hurry, I fell the last few inches. Picking myself up, I kneeled and sat back on my heels.

Paul made a stop on his way home. That bag he brought in with him had a leash. An actual leash.

"You've been such a good boy, today." Paul clipped it to my collar. "Even with your silly mistakes."

"I didn't mean to mess up..."

He sat where I had been, winding the length of the leash around his fingers a few times to shorten it. One sharp tug and I took the cue to get closer.

Between Paul's legs I wrapped my fingers around him. I stroked his cock, with eyes pointed down.

"Look at me." Paul pushed my chin up.

I showed him my brown eyes. There was something wrong.

"Did Master scare you?"

"J-Just a little." I said.

Truth was, it hurt when I fell. I landed on my hip.

I shifted my weight to alleviate it, trying to be subtle and not touch it. But, Paul saw. He remembered me jump before scrambling off the bed, and made the connection.

"Up." He instructed this time, pulling me to his lap.

Paul rubbed the hip I landed on.

"Master didn't mean for you to get hurt." He apologized.

"It was an accident. I'm okay." I assured him. "I-I can stay on the floor."

I tried climbing down but Paul wouldn't let me.

"You're staying here." He made clear. "That's an order."

Paul brushed away a tuft of hair with his nose and softly bit my ear. Stroking down my back, he traced each divot along my spine. I scooted in closer, nuzzling his neck with my face.

"You're a sweet little thing." He praised with love. "Make a better lap pet, anyways."

I always wanted to be close to him. Touched by him. Given attention and loved. Yeah, I was a lap pet.

"How bad did you miss me, today?" Paul asked. "Did I leave you alone too long?"

"I don't like when you're not home." I reflected on my entire day spent waiting for him to get back. "It felt like forever."

Paul gave me a loaded gaze.

"I wasn't the one gone for two days. And, three entire nights."

"I won't leave, again."

Paul toyed with the leash in hand as I pressed kisses to his throat apologetically-Soft, worshipping tokens of affection.

"No, you won't." He affirmed, plain and simple. "You're staying here. Like a good boy. My good boy."

"I'll do anything you want."

"I know you will."

Paul set me down on the bed. He tossed the lube along the sheets between us. With no indication of what I was supposed to do with it, I picked it up unsurely.

He wasn't reaching for any toys.

"Play with yourself." Paul ordered. "I want to watch."

Wetting my fingers, I didn't jump right to it. This still wasn't a clear command. What exactly was I playing with? There were two options...

"Stroke it." Paul encouraged, less patiently, when I sat there with doe eyes.

Wetting my palm some, I took myself in hand. I stroked up the length lightly. Slow pumps to warm myself up.

I would have preferred this be his hand. But, having him tear in to me with that coal stare sent chills through my body in a way mere touch could never do. It was difficult to look him in the eye.

The way he watched me with perverse interest, almost amusement, made me feel like I was doing something I wasn't supposed to be. As if I'd been walked in on and caught in the act. Though, that had never happened.

I rarely ever had to alleviate myself in private, Paul took care of me regularly. Making this open performance all the more exposing. It'd been a while since I ever needed to rub one out on my own.

Paul's own cock came to life at my shy show of obedience. He didn't touch it, showing great self-restraint. The swelling mass validated that Paul very much enjoyed what he was seeing.

I didn't know if he wanted a long drawn out performance, or something faster. I went with something in the middle, touching myself with moderate pace as I worked myself up. I figured if he didn't correct me, I was doing it right.

Feeling myself getting close, I sped up. Paul watched my face, smirking as I began coming undone at my own hand. It didn't take long for me to get close.

"You're squirming at your own touch." Paul observed. "You don't do this often, huh?"

"I-I never need to..."

That stirred an interest in Paul. His lustful gaze turned inquisitive.

"You save yourself for me?" He asked.

"All the time."

"You really are a good boy."

Leash in hand, Paul pulled until the tension brought the strap to a tight straight line.

"Get over here." He beckoned me in.

I left my unsatisfied erection and straddled his lap. Paul used the leash to tie my wrists together, then tied them to the bed post along the headboard. My arms stretched up past Paul's head.

My wet, throbbing cock pressed in to Paul's abs. I fought the urge to rub in to him. Paul licked a path from one nipple to my throat.

"I like when you're a good boy."

"I'm Master's good boy...I mean, I try."

"You're perfect."

Slicking himself down first, Paul manually raised my hips until they were perched at the very tip of his erection. He bumped it at my dry entrance. A hand on each hip, he held me there, rubbing it against me without pushing in.

I rolled my hips with his movements, rubbing my cock in to his abs as he teased his own cock with my ass. Gradually Paul let his grip on me go slack, and I was supporting my own weight with both thighs.

I slid down a bit, gravity guiding me along. I got the swollen tip of Paul's erection pushing at my unprepared entrance in the process. There was sufficient lubricant there. It was safe to slide down, but it'd be a hell of a snug fit.

I wasn't ready for it, at all. I paused to keep from taking it, assuming that wasn't what Paul intended to happen, anyways. I hovered at the tip.

"Did I tell you to stop moving?"

"N-No...I guess not."

"You guess?"

I carefully resumed rolling my hips, holding my core tight.

"You didn't tell me to stop." I corrected myself.

"And, I'm not going to."

With his thumbs, Paul circled the budded peaks at my chest. They hardened at his touch. The longer he teased me, the more I wanted him. And the harder it was to support my own weight and keep from sitting to alleviate the burden.

There was nothing I could do about it, tied to the headboard like this. My thighs were tight and burning, starting to quiver. Threatening to buckle. I begged Paul to hold me up as the head slipped in.

He obliged. But, only enough to keep me from sliding down his entire cock at once. Paul let gravity lead me down in a slow crawl. Just a smidge at a time, at first.

"Wonder what would happen if I just let go...Think your tight ass could handle it?"

"D-Don't let go." I pleaded.

As my body opened up for him and Paul let me sink lower, he stopped each time it gave resistance. Paul holding me up didn't entirely give me peace of mind. I braced myself, just in case.

This was a conflicting predicament. And, this process was painfully drawn out. With my hands tied, and his busy, my erection was abandoned and begging for attention.

I couldn't move my hips or risk taking in more than I could handle. Biting my inner cheek, I silently agonized over what to do.

"Something wrong?" Paul asked.

"I want to cum..." I complained, only about half way down his cock. "But, I can't move."

"I can't hold you up and stroke you at the same time." Paul gave me the ultimatum.

I chose to have him hold me. My legs were going to give. Paul was my only chance to keep from plummeting down. My brown eyes pled.

"If you want it that bad, you better relax that tight ass for me."

Paul let his arms go slack for a moment, letting me drop a bit before quicky catching me. He never actually let go. The quick fake out brought us about an inch closer.

I paled.

"You didn't really think I'd let go, did you?"

He tightened his hold on me to prove he wouldn't. That grip slowly worked me down his length until I safely sat in his lap. Leaving me there to adjust, Paul worked me with his free hands. One stroked me, the other twined in my hair. Paul pushed my face close to his. I ground myself down in to him, eager to have him now that I could.

"See what you're missing when you leave?"