Bribe
by Rose Thorne
Disclaimer: Slayers is owned by a bunch of folks who aren't me. I'm borrowing them for my perverse pleasure, much as Xellos borrows emotions for his.
Xellos waited, perched in a tree, watching the summer evening sky, for what he knew to be inevitable.
At least, now it was. The moment Lina had asked him to help them, the moment he had replied, "Why, Lina-san, I have no reason to interfere!"
Now he need only wait. And not for long; he could feel Zelgadis' emotions as the inevitable was, indeed, put into play.
Anger, resignation, and a little bit of fear.
Xellos had carefully built to this moment, dropping just enough hints over the years to Zelgadis. It had appeared, during Rezo's little Ghost of Shabranigdu stunt, that the chimera might get himself killed and destroy all of Xellos' hard work, but he had survived.
It had only been a matter of time before Lina's little group needed him again, what with their delightful tendency to get themselves in trouble. So he had waited, popping in on occasion to maintain everything, until the situation was right.
He was nothing if not patient. And now his pet project was about to come to fruition.
Zelgadis came into view, his features hidden the glint of the sliver of moon off his hair. But his expression wouldn't tell Xellos nearly as much as his emotions did.
The chimera knew why he was here. Hated it, but had come anyway.
After all, Xellos had not outright refused to help them; instead, he had left it up to them to find a reason for him to help.
Zelgadis had come to bribe him.
He stood silently, not even glancing up at Xellos. The Mazoku acknowledged his presence with a tip of his head, and crossed his legs in the manner of a businessman.
"My, my. I take it Lina-san has sent you to negotiate?" he asked, though he knew that was unlikely or Lina would have come herself.
Zelgadis glared at him. "No. She seems to be under the impression that she can win with or without your help."
Xellos smiled. "But you realize the situation."
"Yes." The word was almost spat at him. "We can't beat this on our own, and you apparently need a reason to help us this time. Which means you have no orders regarding it."
He allowed his smile to widen; trust someone as clever as Zelgadis to realize something like that. "So you intend to give me a reason?"
Zelgadis' emotions rose at that, chaotic, with revulsion at the forefront. Xellos' cock swelled in response, hidden behind his crossed legs from the chimera's view.
Most Mazoku could attain life-like anatomy, but one of the benefits of having the power of both a priest and a general was that, if he so desired, his anatomy could not only be life-like, but fully functional.
At the moment, he was perfectly pleased to have if functional, since he intended to use it.
Zelgadis, of course, was ignorant of his thoughts—or at least ignorant enough that he thought he could negotiate more than Xellos was willing to allow.
"I'll stop searching for my cure," he offered quietly. His emotions indicated that he was well aware that this offer was likely to be rejected, but he was trying. "You'll be able to feed off my misery."
"Oh?" Although the idea was entertaining, it was also pointless. "That's hardly worthwhile, Zelgadis-san. After all, Akahoushi Rezo was quite clear on his opinion that your desperate little search is futile. Surely you can do better than that."
Zelgadis seemed to deflate at that—he had likely assumed that Xellos' was saying that Rezo was correct; in fact, he didn't know—crossing his arms over his chest as though protecting himself from what he was about to say. Xellos leaned forward in anticipation, and was glad he did; when the chimera did speak, it was nearly inaudible.
"You've hinted what you want. I'll give it."
Xellos considered; one thing that he had learned about Zelgadis was that he had a breaking point, at which he shut down emotionally. That was something he wanted to avoid. From his emotions, he wasn't there yet, but the Mazoku would have to tread lightly.
"I've hinted many things," he said carefully. "You'll have to be more specific."
Zelgadis made a sort of choked sound, then hung his head. "I'll have sex with you," he whispered.
The wave of revulsion, humiliation, and shame that rolled off him to accompany those words was so potent that Xellos had to repress an appreciative sigh. Appearing too eager could push him to his breaking point.
"Your virginity?" he asked mildly. Zelgadis stiffened in surprise. "That would be a… fair trade for my help, I suppose."
"I have conditions," Zelgadis said quickly.
"Hm…" He already knew what he would get—or, rather, what he was willing to concede. "Yes, we should decide on the terms."
"We… have sex once." He had trouble speaking the words. "And no one finds out. That means you leave no marks and you don't hint to the others."
Xellos was amenable to those terms; after all, it was only a matter of time before they needed his help again, with their penchant for getting into harrowing situations. And not having anyone find out about their little tryst was convenient as well. Lina would likely attempt to kill him if she found out, and that would get messy.
"That is acceptable. As a freebie, I will ensure no one discovers us… in flagrante delicto, as they say," Xellos replied easily. "No one will see or hear us."
Zelgadis took a shaky breath at the idea of someone catching them in the act, and the surprise at Xellos' perceived generosity amused him.
"And in return? How will you help?"
Oh-ho. Clever, clever chimera.
Xellos had expected, by this point in the negotiations, that Zelgadis would be too flustered to think of closing that loophole. He had carefully built the conversation. Forcing him to specify that they would have sex, introducing the idea that they could be interrupted, even the exceedingly proper reference to what amounted to fucking… It had all been geared toward that.
He had miscalculated.
But no matter. He could still work with this.
"Information about what Lina-san is up against will certainly be useful," Xellos said, as a start to the negotiations.
"And? This is worth more than a little information, you bastard." Zelgadis took a few deep breaths to collect himself. "You help us fight it. As you did with the Ghost of Shabranigdu."
The demands were a bit much, but they offered an opening that Xellos was perfectly willing to take advantage of.
"A battle such as that would do more damage than just once would account for, you realize."
The emotions generated by this statement seemed to go straight to his cock, and Xellos realized what was meant by the term 'painfully aroused.' He needed these negotiations to be over.
It took a moment for Zelgadis to respond. "If that happens… we'll negotiate afterward."
Xellos surveyed him for a moment, considering. He was no longer interested in negotiating any further on this issue at the moment. He wanted his bribe, and he wanted it now. In his experience, the chimera was normally honorable enough to keep his word—and there was plenty he could do to enforce the terms anyway, which Zelgadis was perfectly aware of.
"Acceptable," he finally said, and hopped off his perch.
Zel's eyes went wide, his gaze flickering down to Xellos' trousers, the bulge of his erection no longer hidden behind crossed legs.
"Now?" he whispered, his voice and emotions filled with horror and revulsion.
"Of course, now. Payment comes before service, Zelgadis-san."
His emotions, Xellos realized, were nearing that breaking point, the one he was trying to avoid. There would be enjoyment in the sex itself, but what he wanted, what would be his payment, was the emotions accompanying the act. He wanted to feel and feed off of what Zelgadis felt, losing his virginity to a Mazoku he feared and despised. That certainly wouldn't happen if he shut down. And even if he did get the chance to manipulate Zelgadis into sex again—and he was sure he would—these emotions would only come once.
"This is not necessary," Xellos murmured. Not lying, not technically.
Zelgadis looked up at him, his focus shifting, which was part of Xellos' goal. But there were other goals. Reminding Zelgadis of why he was doing this would keep him from shutting down, would bring out that little determined streak of pride that he had. And, furthermore, it would, undeniably, make this consensual, even if it was payment for a favor.
"You are not involved in Lina's battle, not yet. You could leave," he pointed out. Xellos didn't bring up the obvious—that Lina or Gourry or Amelia would have to bribe him. He knew Zelgadis didn't need that reminder.
He was pleased when his words had the desired effect, and Zelgadis drew himself up, his body language as obvious as his emotions.
"It is necessary," he whispered, almost to himself.
This time, when he approached, Zelgadis' emotions stayed at an acceptable level, not spiking toward a breaking point, and he was pleased by the ones that lay at their foundation, the ones that would ensure that breaking point was not met; resignation and acceptance.
Xellos smiled. He had Zelgadis exactly where he wanted him.
Yes, this is the version for FFN. The sex will be in versions elsewhere, so if you want to read it, you'll have to look at AFF or MMO, or y-gallery.
This is more novel!Xellos than anime!Xellos, but this is what Xellos-muse wanted. Written for the Springkink prompt: Slayers, Xelloss/Zelgadis: sex for payment – he had absolutely no reason to help them, but he was open for persuasion