Onyx #2
Dominic caught Onyx by the hips when he went for a brief kiss, holding him in place for a notably firmer and longer kiss before letting him go. “I’ll be back in a few hours." He locked the rec room door, then turned away to head back to his office.
Onyx breathed out a sigh of relief as soon as Dominic left him alone, then he turned to face the room. There was so much he could do, but there was so much he didn’t have to do, too. He could relax without being touched.
He turned on the TV and gaming console, then he went to the couch, curling up in the corner with the controller. His eyes closed almost immediately; he was tired from the night before, and the knowledge that he could sleep untouched was enough to lull him into a short nap.
When he woke up, he yawned and stretched, fully relaxed as he launched into a session of gaming without paying any attention to the cameras or thinking about what Dominic might be doing.
Onyx was more content than he’d been since before… before. It had been nice having Shane to play with, but the way things kept going wrong with the wolf, well, it was safer to be alone. And he didn’t have to worry about someone in his personal space.
It was almost like it belonged to him.
The door opening alerted him to Dominic’s presence, though the witch didn’t venture past the doorway.
It was strange; he hadn’t the last time, either. It was almost like he was giving Onyx just one place that he could call his beyond the crate.
He sat up straight, pausing his game. “How were your meetings?” he asked, eyeing Dominic as he tried to get a read on his mood.
“Good,” Dominic said. “Productive,” he added with a smile. “How was your alone time?”
Onyx was still wary despite Dominic’s smile.
“Good,” he replied cautiously. “I napped and played games. Let me just save this one and I’ll be done.
” He felt so much more relaxed after having just a few hours on his own.
What would it be like to have that free time every day?
Not that he thought he’d get it, especially with lessons on the horizon, but it would be nice.
He saved and quit the game, turning it and the TV off.
Dominic held out his hand, then when Onyx got close, he used the touch to draw Onyx in close and into his arms as he wrapped his arms around him. He pressed his face into Onyx’s hair with a satisfied hum.
Of course Dominic was already all over him again.
Did he understand how suffocating he was?
It only seemed to get worse, not better.
Shouldn’t Dominic have realized by then that Onyx wasn’t going anywhere?
That he couldn’t go anywhere? He squirmed in Dominic’s arms, but he didn’t try to pull away.
He had a feeling Dominic wouldn’t take that well right then.
“I’m hungry,” he said instead, trying to devise a reason for them to separate instead of simply saying he wanted to put space between them.
Dominic chuckled, the sound low and throaty before purring into Onyx’s ear, “So am I.”
Onyx fought very hard to stay still when Dominic spoke, not wanting to give him any ideas.
It wasn’t that his body wouldn’t have liked that kind of release; the murmured words in his ear had had his cock starting to take notice despite himself.
But he didn’t want to encourage this sort of clinginess.
“Steak for dinner? Or something else?” Dominic leaned down to give Onyx a light kiss before finally releasing him from his arms.
“Steak,” Onyx agreed, ignoring the previous words. “With potatoes. And corn.” He took a small step away into the hallway, but Dominic was right there with him, settling a hand on the back of his neck.
“You need your hair trimmed,” Dominic observed again.
Onyx didn’t try to pull away from Dominic, even though he fidgeted. “You sure I’m not going to try to stab someone with scissors?” he asked dryly.
Like Dominic.
He’d very much like to stab Dominic with a pair of scissors, much like the games with the Fates he always talked about severing his life’s thread. Or whatever it was.
Dominic laughed. “I think I can manage to dissuade such an attempt. Though if you wanted to stab someone, I’m sure we could find someone who deserves it far more than a poor hairdresser.” He gave the back of Onyx’s neck a light squeeze before dropping his hand.
“Can’t imagine where I’d find someone who deserves stabbing in this house,” Onyx replied, voice still deadpan as he headed in the direction of Dominic’s room.
Dominic laughed again. “I’m sure you have a few suggestions,” he noted with a grin. “Or maybe just one, hm?”
“Only one that matters,” Onyx replied with a shrug. Dominic did deserve to be stabbed. After everything, he was lucky Onyx hadn’t decided to go back on his word. If he could catch Dominic off guard…
But no. He’d promised not to. It wouldn’t be worth the cost if he failed. Things weren’t great, but maybe he was a little lucky these days, when he wasn’t being suffocated.
“It’s not time for dinner just yet.” Dominic slowed a little. “Come.” He held out his hand to Onyx again.
“Where are we going?” Onyx took Dominic’s hand, looking curiously at him.
Dominic grinned. “It’s a surprise,” he stage-whispered before drawing Onyx in a different direction, through a part of the house that they didn’t frequently visit.
Onyx followed Dominic with a furrowed brow. Where were they going? This looked familiar, but he didn’t remember coming this way.
“All right, close your eyes,” Dominic told Onyx when they’d gotten to a large door.
Onyx closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly as the door opened with a soft sound. He felt warm, humid air against his skin, but he didn’t open his eyes until Dominic told him to. He remembered these gardens, with their stone pathways and grass spreading out behind the house.
He’d tried to kill Dominic out here.
Maybe this was fate’s way of saying he should try again.
Instead, Onyx looked around, stretching uncomfortably because he could almost feel the chains wrapped around his body again. But it was beautiful, he had to admit. “Why don’t you ever come out here?”
Dominic looked around, like he was seeing everything for the first time. “Too busy, usually,” he said. “But the reason that we’re out here…”
Onyx thought that wealth was wasted on Dominic. He had this beautiful garden but didn’t use it, and he kept himself too busy to enjoy himself.
With anything but Onyx, at least.
Dominic drew Onyx out onto the grass a ways, then turned them so that Onyx’s back was to his chest. It was later than he’d realized; the stars already shone bright overhead. The ambient light seemed to dissipate as Dominic cast some sort of spell.
Onyx’s breath caught as he stared at the night sky for the first time in months. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes, though they didn’t fall. “It’s… amazing,” he whispered.
“It is,” Dominic agreed softly. He smiled as he pointed out one constellation after another.
They were even more beautiful now than they had been in the illusion, which was unsurprising. As wonderful as magic was, it often paled in comparison to reality.
Onyx rested against Dominic’s chest, unresisting, and unlike most other times, too distracted and spellbound to be tense. He was fully relaxed as he stared at the night sky while the insects sang and the breeze cooled his skin.
It was the closest thing he’d had to a perfect moment since being taken.
For a long moment, he lingered there, gazing at the sky. Then he took a step away, grabbing Dominic’s hand as he did, and dragged him in the direction of a patch of grass. He flopped down, lying down on his back so he could stare more easily at the sky. “It’s better like this."
Somewhat to Onyx’s surprise, Dominic lay down on the grass next to him so that they could stare up at the sky together. “Mmm, I agree."
Onyx breathed in deeply, then lay there quietly for several moments. If he pretended… he could almost imagine he was back in the bayou. For better or for worse.
“This was a nice surprise,” Onyx said softly after a little while. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Dominic murmured. “I like giving you nice surprises.”
“This is a good one,” Onyx replied. He fell silent again, taking in another deep breath of fresh air. He knew Dominic would never allow him outside by himself, but he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed being outdoors until this moment.
Was this one of the things he could have, if he surrendered even more?
Probably.
But was the cost worth it?
That, he didn’t know.