Just Here for the Pain

by K. A. Merikan

  Buck encouraged Asher. “Go on, press it down harder. He’s not going to die, even if he thinks so.”

  There was hesitation in Asher’s movements, but when instead of pain, Sid felt a gentle touch on his cock, it was like having hot water poured over a cold limb. He twitched, but his murmur turned into a muffled scream when the tiny spikes dug into the tender flesh of his sac.

  “Take your time as you turn it,” Buck said as if through a wall made of pain and arousal. Painful arousal? Sid didn’t even know anymore, but the wheel of needles turned over his balls on Asher’s accord, and he still didn’t safeword, giving up control to Asher.

  The touch to his cock made the agony confusing, and he was a sobbing mess once Asher finally took the torture device away.

  “Good boy,” Buck patted Sid’s ass as if he were a dog.

  Sid had never been into the whole obedience ‘good boy’/’Sir’ thing, but right now, after surviving the ordeal, he felt weirdly grateful for the praise.

  Asher slowly sank lower to face Sid. It was such an odd feeling to see him upside down, with that mean yet aroused grin. He slapped Sid’s cheek a few times and looked up, as though exchanging some secret message with Buck.

  “Ready for the end? It might come at any moment,” he said in a voice that was horrifyingly calm, as if it managed to suck out any other noise.

  Sid whimpered for mercy, but it wouldn’t come. Buck passed Asher a roll of wide tape, and once Asher extended it in front of Sid’s eyes, that was that. Asher turned the world dark, taking away any illusion of control. Asher wrapped the bondage tape around Sid’s head three times, and pulled away, leaving Sid hanging. Literally.

  The hum of the electric wand filled the air, creating static that danced on Sid’s skin. It moved somewhere around him, and for once, without the possibility of seeing where it was, Sid could feel every brush of air against his skin.

  He breathed hard, his saliva dripped to the floor. He was stuck in this moment of anticipation as if time stopped moving. These electric shocks weren’t as vicious as from the prod, but just as startling when delivered to his most sensitive parts.

  The static would trail up and down his leg, and drowned in darkness, Sid couldn’t see where it would go, but the constant buzz reminded him things wouldn’t end any time soon. The snaps to his inner thighs made his body tense with attention, but it was the shock delivered to the tip of his dick that made him howl, thrash and beg through the gag. If that wasn’t enough, strong hands turned him, parted his buttocks and another jolt of electricity cruelly sparked over the delicate skin between his balls and asshole.

  He sobbed into the blindfold, shaking from the pain, but no one had mercy for him.

  “Last one,” Asher whispered, but rather than being soothing, it was as if he wanted Sid to know more pain was coming.

  The shock to the skin between Sid’s buttocks was excruciating, and his entire body jerked in the air. No one had ever managed to take him to this place with pain and fear. He wasn’t even sure what was happening when gravity shifted again, and he was lowered back to the floor. Sid was still shaking and trapped in his own mind when the two men whispered something to each other.

  Blood pumped out of Sid’s head, leaving him feeling light and shuddery, his aching body so heavy on the cold floor he couldn’t believe he’d ever walk again. He flinched away from touch when someone moved next to him, but then Asher’s hand—gentle and warm—rested on his flank, and he immediately relaxed. Warmth brushed against his ear, and he groaned, stretching as Asher petted him.

  “Sid, you all right? Should we go on?”

  It took him a few more long breaths to assess the question. That static shock to his ass had been something else altogether. In the end, he decided he was ready for whatever more they wanted to give. He nudged Asher’s leg with his face and nodded once more.

  Chapter 14

  Sid cried into the gag, but with the air forced through his nose, the dungeon still echoed with the trembly scream. His ass burned as if Asher had licked it with fire, but it was only the whip striking his flesh at what felt like light speed. The tiny end of the tool packed the kind of punch that made Sid tremble and sob, shedding tears to the spanking bench.

  A hand he recognized as Asher’s rubbed his shivering shoulder blade. At first he flinched, but when no more hits were coming, he slowly relaxed to the touch that brought no damage.

  “He won’t be giving you any more trouble, that’s for sure,” Buck said with a chuckle, but Sid tensed when something rattled behind him.

  Asher petted his abused flesh before delivering a firm slap with his hand. “He won’t be able to sit for a while, that’s for certain.”

  Sid cried out at the unexpected smack, even though it hadn’t been all that firm. The problem was that it had hit spots where he was tender already.

  “Hope he doesn’t have a desk job then. Though I doubt that with all the ink.”

  “No. No, what he does is very physical,” Asher said, this time gently moving his hand up Sid’s back, all the way to his nape.

  Buck laughed. “Is that right?”

  Sid whined out an answer, arching to the hand that had delivered him so much anguish and such pleasure.

  Asher stepped away to exchange a few quiet words with Buck, but moments later, thudding footsteps were followed by the sound of the door closing. Asher exhaled loudly.

  “How are you feeling?”

  Sid looked up at him, still dazed, and let out a broken sound reminding Asher of the gag.

  Throughout the scene, Asher had taken off his T-shirt, and his bare torso shone in the subtle light getting in through the windows. He approached Sid slowly and unbuckled the gag, pulling it out of Sid’s mouth. The ache in Sid’s jaw muscles was pleasantly familiar.

  First he stretched his jaw a few times but then took a deep inhale. “Everything hurts,” he said in a hoarse voice. “But I loved it. Fucking mental.”

  Asher leaned down and caressed Sid’s face with the gentlest movements before diving in to kiss his lips. “I’m so proud of you. You took it all so well. Loved watching it.”

  Sid could hardly believe how his heart melted over the words. He stared at Asher not even caring if he sounded needy. “You did? What did you like best? That fucking electric prod… fuck.”

  Asher nuzzled Sid’s cheek, staying close even as he freed Sid’s hands. “I love it when you lose control. When you can’t keep still and tremble when I approach you.”

  Sid stretched his arms slowly but smiled up at Asher. His muscles were burning Jell-O filled with fire ants, and all he wanted was to feel Asher hug him. “You pull that out of me.”

  Asher smiled and pressed a tender kiss to Sid’s mouth before releasing his legs as well. “It’s because of you that I’ve tried this in the first place.”

  “I hope you have no regrets.” He reached out to pet Asher’s side, but his mind kept chastising him. Stop being so fucking needy.

  Asher watched him for several moments, distracting Sid with a teasing touch around his ear. “What about you?” he asked, sliding his arms under Sid’s armpits and dragging him to his feet.

  Sid grabbed Asher when his knees buckled. “You exceed all and any expectations,” he whispered.

  Asher drew him close, and the way Sid’s abused nipples rubbed against his chest lit up little flares of pleasure all over his aching body. “Glad to hear that. I want you to always have me in the back of your mind.”

  Sid hugged him tighter, though even that hurt. “Always.” He closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the intense need to sob again, yet trying to stop himself from it.

  Asher grinned and pulled Sid’s face into the crook of his neck, as if he’d somehow heard Sid’s thoughts, and chose to give him privacy. Sid took deep breaths to not make too much noise, but tears still streamed from under his eyelashes and down the latex mask.

  Asher held him up, providing the security that Sid’s aching muscles could not. It was only after several moment
s that instead of just petting Sid, Asher began unwinding the ties at the back of the mask.

  “You are beautiful. There’s no other man like you,” Asher whispered.

  “I doubt that’s the case right now,” Sid said with a hoarse laugh when the latex came off. He could just about imagine his own red face and the bruises all over. “Are you just saying that ‘cause you want a blowjob? You haven’t come, have you?” He nuzzled Asher’s ear.

  Asher smiled at him and pressed his cheek to Sid’s, slowly leading him out of the dungeon. “You need to rest. Come on, I’ll take care of you now.”

  Sid curled his arm around Asher’s nape, so grateful for those words that he got choked up. “Thank you. I spaced out so hard. The hanging upside down, blindfolded… Ash…so good. When I didn’t know where the shocks would come from—” His walk was wobbly, and he wished to be lying down already, but Asher had read his mind and picked him up, even though it wasn’t without a huff. He moved carefully, maneuvering his way through the doorway and into the adjacent bedroom.

  “Oh, I know. You like being scared.”

  Curled up in his arms, Sid had complete trust in Asher, floating in the air, with the breeze of movement soothingly brushing over his abused skin. The bedding felt too rough on his ass, but he bit back any complaints and just held on to his lover.

  “Take off everything,” Sid said, wishing to melt into the familiar body. Every move stung, reminding him of all they’d done in the last…who even knew how long the scene had lasted. The sun seemed more orange than before.

  Asher grinned and pulled Sid’s hand to his belt. “Go on then. Help me out.”

  Sid was still floating on the waves of shock and hurt delivered to his body as he opened Asher’s jeans and pushed them down along with the briefs. His mind was hazy as if any past or future was a blur he couldn’t focus on. Maybe that was for the better. How had they managed to find each other in the mess and drama Sid had created after they’d first parted? How had Asher found so much strength to persevere even when rejected time and time again?

  Logically, Sid knew he shouldn’t admire that quality—it had made Asher a stalker—but Sid had no capacity to focus on that when he pressed his naked body into Asher’s embrace.

  Asher was still kicking off his clothing as he lay on the edge of the mattress, cuddling up to Sid. In moments like these, when Sid was completely pumped out, with his body feeling as if it had been through hell, he could completely relax, let loose and just enjoy tenderness without his spiky shell getting in the way.

  “It’s okay. I’m here.”

  Sid rubbed his cock against Asher’s stomach in a lazy fashion, enjoying just how physically close their connection was, how each of Asher’s touches felt more intense on the tenderized skin.

  “What about Buck? Is he waiting for you? Is he gone?”

  “He showed himself out. It was a favor,” Asher said with a small smile, his fingertips drawing pictures all over Sid’s skin. Each touch was like lightning hitting flesh.

  “I liked…the leash. At my neck.” He arched his body for Asher, looking at the handsome face and not quite believing his luck.

  “Did you?” Asher’s mouth quirked. His palm trailed up Sid’s chest, all the way to his throat and closed around it, briefly narrowing Sid’s windpipe with its squeeze.

  Sid whimpered, melting into the dominant touch. “I wouldn’t mind always wearing something a chain could be attached to.” Was that too convoluted? Would Asher understand his meaning? In the white sheets, with the glow of the sun coming in through the matte windows as backdrop, he was the embodiment of Sid’s desires, even if Sid would have never picked him based on appearance alone. As handsome as Asher was, Sid would have never guessed such dominant energy coursed in the veins of a man who had always tried to please him.

  “What do you mean?”

  Sid swallowed, shy as if he hadn’t just gotten whipped and prodded by two men while hanging upside down. “Would you collar me?”

  Asher stared back at him, his face going completely blank before his mouth twitched into a smile. His palm moved back down Sid’s torso, rubbing along his nipples. “I don’t have anything appropriate here.”

  Sid closed his eyes, feeling dumb about his own request and unsure if Asher even understood the significance of what Sid was asking of him. “Doesn’t have to be now. It was just a thou—”

  Asher shut him up with a kiss that had a spark traveling to Sid’s balls when his nipple rolled between Asher’s fingers. “How about I mark you with something else?”

  A brand? Sid hadn’t considered that, but he’d take whatever was given. “Yes?”

  The pressure around his nipple grew until he twitched in Asher’s arms, groaning in pain.

  “I could put something nice through here.”

  “That’s not the pierced one.”

  “I know.”

  “Oh.” Sid’s imagination slid down a slippery slope to where Asher put needles in him, creating patterns and rolling the tiny pieces of metal under his skin until it bruised. “And you know how to do that?”

  “Mhm. Used to do my friends when I was in my rebellious phase,” Asher whispered and rolled Sid to his back, moving the tip of his tongue around the nipple.

  Sid groaned in pleasure, so free, so weightless despite being so viscerally aware of every inch of his skin. “Do it.”

  Asher exhaled loudly and moved over him, pressing down until their mouths met in a lazy open-mouthed kiss. “Don’t move,” he whispered.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.” Sid placed his hands over his head as if to make a point and lay still even when Asher left the room. His ass was a view to die for. Sid really did need to fuck him again.

  His flesh remained one big ache, yet there was also a powerful sense of peace, a warm tingle that made him wish to stay in bed with Asher forever. The rummaging in the dungeon only took a moment, and when the sound of Asher’s bare feet became faster, so did Sid’s breath. Asher had let down his hair from the small topknot and it now hung along the side of his face in sweaty streaks, caressing the skin Sid wanted to lick.

  Asher showed Sid a pack of needles, which he’d brought with him, along with several other items. He must have planned for this moment weeks ago, and even if the piercing was a spontaneous decision, the fact that Asher had been prepared felt like a compliment.

  Sid smiled and arched up his chest while keeping his hands over his head. He craved this discreet sign of ownership much more than he used to years ago. His last Dom before the great Crash Landing debacle had pierced him during a scene, and looking back at it, the consent to that had been dubious at best, with Sid so greedy for pain he just went with it. This time? He was greedy for Asher’s mark.

  Asher knelt next to Sid and rubbed the skin around his target, deliberately teasing it with his nail. “I don’t have to restrain you for this, do I?”

  “No. I can be good when I want to.” For you.

  Asher gave him a chaste kiss and carefully disinfected the area. He even had latex gloves, which felt oddly pleasant to the touch, a fake layer of skin warmed from the inside by Asher’s flesh. While the damp skin cooled, Asher handed Sid a small box that looked suspiciously like one used for fancy-shmancy jewelry.

  “I got it for you.”

  Sid’s lips parted, but then he laughed off the initial wave of tenderness. “Are we getting engaged by nipple piercing?” He snatched the box out of Asher’s hand with a grin.

  The suggestion must have embarrassed Asher, as he said nothing. Sid quickly opened the gift, revealing a nipple piercing consisting of a bar and an elaborate snake encircling the whole thing. And it wasn’t just one of the cheapo novelty ones. There was something sharp about the craftsmanship and the bright color of the metal that told him it wasn’t just stainless steel in the little sterile package laid out in the jewelry box.

  “Do you like it?”

  Sid nodded and his heart felt as tender as the welts all over his skin. “I love it. T
hank you.”

  The warm glance Asher offered him shut Sid up. He didn’t want to get emotional over this nor be seen as a clingy sap, so he swallowed several times, took a deep breath and watched Asher’s latex-clad fingers pinch the nipple and then carefully maneuver the needle closer.

  He now regretted his dumb ‘engagement’ comment. He shouldn’t have implied that even as a joke. What if Asher thought Sid really wanted something like that? Sure, Asher had been chasing him for years, but actually being in the relationship they were in now was different.

  Sid closed his eyes and persevered through the pain of the needle sliding into skin. In comparison to the electric shocks, the sting of the piercing—controlled and slow—was hardly an issue. The flesh pulsed around the steel, as if whispering to Sid: mine, mine, mine.

  Asher showered his neck with kisses before proceeding to replace the needle with the piercing. The push and pull of the motion had Sid closing his eyes as heat exploded in the small wound, almost replacing the dull throb. The sensation had no place there, and yet he felt it, as if the jewelry was filled with warmth and endorphins that leaked into Sid’s bloodstream. It now sat attached to his body like an invisible leash that would always remind him of Asher’s presence at the other end.

  Asher put away everything and tossed the gloves off the bed. His eyes, usually a warm brown, shone like burning coals when his gaze met Sid’s. “Looks so hot on you.”

  “Because you put it there.”

  Sid slid his hand to the side of Asher’s head to guide him down for a kiss. He wanted to be close, to connect. The pain in his flesh needed soothing, and the only thing he could think of was Asher’s delicate touch.

  He met no resistance. Asher lay down next to him, careful not to agitate the pierced skin as he curled his arms around Sid and pulled him in. Their legs entwined, with Asher’s pushing between Sid’s thighs, until it rested by his groin. In contrast to the cool sheets, Asher’s body was pure heat. Slightly damp from sweat and so touchable Sid could rest next to it for hours, even though he’d never thought of himself as a cuddler.