Written for the LJ community 'Weekly Watchmen" for the challenge "The Many Different Ways to Perceive Pain." Features Adrien slash/het. For various reasons, mostly the fact that I've seen the movie more recently than reading the graphic novel (though I'm working to rectify that) this seems to be more related to the movie version of Adrien.
With a lithe grace that he had come to be known for, Adrien rose from the comfort of his purple chair. He had been thinking about this moment all day, though he had still managed to pay attention to his actual work. Though he liked to point out that his status as "smartest man in the world" was partially a marketting ploy by different departments in his corporation, the claim wasn't that far from the truth.
A couple of years ago, he had sought out his intellectual equal, a forty year old man who spent his days contemplating the ocean in silence. Together they had mediated in silence, staring out over the water, watching the sun rise and set. Though Adrien himself was not completely drawn to Eastern culture, as this man was, he enjoyed his weeks there. Most importantly, he had learned a lesson from the quiet man who rarely spoke.
There are many different ways to perceive both pain and pleasure.
The man, whose name he never got, had spent many nights instructing Adrien on these topics, helping him understand the human body in ways that he had never understood. Though practically, he knew the ways to damage a person, knew how to break bones with his bare hands, how to make them bleed. He understood what nerves were, where the muscles were located. But without the practical experience his tutor had, he had never truly utilized any of this.
He quickly realized that his years as a "costumed avenger" had been wasted. All the fights he could've ended earlier, all the lovers he could've pleased more. He didn't think that any of them would complain that he wasn't ardent, but he knew the truth. He could've been better.
Which led him to today.
The woman before him was beautiful, all soft curves and Grecian features. His obsession with Alexander of Macedonia was not limited to his own physical perfection or to his world view. She represented that. Her long dark hair was curled in loose ringlets and her skin was a dusky olive color. It hadn't taken much to convince her to his room. No doubt she had heard about him, since she did work in the office. He had made it clear this was a one night engagement-with all of his abilities and skills, he had chosen not to limit himself. Neither to one person or to one sex. After he was done with the improbably named Aphrodite, he planned on meeting with a young man he had met at the theater.
He wasn't a selfish lover. Any fool could reach his own pleasure. It took more skill to bring your partner to the same satisfying conclusion.
He saw her confusion when he pulled out the knife. Her confusion turned to fear when he started to approach her.
"Shit," she pushed her back to the headboard, frantically eyeing the door and considering her chances to escape, "Are you going to fucking kill me?" He had made his way onto the bed, which dipped under his weight.
"That would be like breaking a toy before I got a chance to play with it," her eyes were fixated on the blade, so much so that when he was finally on top of her, she jumped in surprise. She was stil confused.
"There is a fine line to walk between pain and pleasure."
"I don't think I want to do this."
"Trust me," he waited until she nodded her assent before continuing. He wouldn't take an unwilling woman to his bed. He didn't need to.
The blade slid across the upper part of her chest, cutting through the straps that held the dress up. After all, he could afford another one, and the shiver that went up her spine as he did so was worth it.
He remembered his first lesson, when the man he had barely known had taken a fishing knife and used it to cut a line down his abs while trailing his tongue over his cock. It had been the single most erotic experience of Adrien's incredibly rich sexual history. He had been an active participant in the sexual revolution, and nothing compared to the thin line he walked with this man. He had tried to share this with all his partners since then, and had been, as far as he could tell, successful.
It was now time to see just how far he could take Aphrodite, just how much she could take. Despite her
initial misgivings, he was pretty sure she would take to this well. This would be a good night.