4 8 15 16 23 42. Execute. By now John would be able to type it if he was blindfolded. Once the timer had been set back to 108 he went to the living area and knocked on the door. Behind it a mystery waited that maybe was even bigger than the secret of the series of numbers he had been entering into the computer for the past two weeks.

"Henry?" he said, putting his lips close to the cold metal of the door.

"…Yes?" a muffled voice said on the other side of it.

"Are you hungry?" John felt ridiculous as soon as the words had left his mouth. If he was being nice to his prisoner, if he actually cared about him – then why was he even his prisoner?

"I wouldn't say no to some of that cereal."

John came back from the kitchen with two bowls full of cereal – no milk. He carefully balanced them in one hand while unlocking and opening the door with the other.

"Nice to see you, John." Henry said in a tone that John almost mistook for flirtatious before he reminded himself that it obviously must have been meant to be ironic.

John gave him a half smile and a bowl of cereal.

"You're not eating with me?" Henry asked and glanced noticeably at the other bowl in John's hand as he was about to leave the room again.

John shrugged. "Okay, why not?" He almost convinced himself that he didn't intend to eat with Henry anyway. But yes, he wanted to be asked and Henry knew how to play along.

"So…. How was your day, honey?" Henry asked and took a spoonful of dry cornflakes.

John hissed. "Did the island make you this way or have you always been like that?"

"Like what?"

"So cynical."

Henry didn't grace this with a reaction. He finished his cereal in silence and handed John the empty bowl. "How about you?"

John gave a questioning look.

"Have you always been this lonely?"

"I'm not lonely." John said and let his spoon fall into the half-empty bowl.

"Oh, I think you are." Henry said and came as close to John as the chain that tied him to his bed allowed him. "I know you are. You're lonely. That's why you spend your time eating expired food with a prisoner rather than helping your friends find a way off this island..."

John could feel his blood rushing into his cheeks out of anger, not because Henry had the audacity to ascribe loneliness to him but because he was right.

"…or is it just that, when you're being completely honest with yourself, you actually like me?"

"What?" John gasped.

"I've noticed the way you look at me, John, I'm not stupid." Henry leaned over carefully making sure the handcuffs didn't cut into his flesh more than they already did. "Let me tell you a secret, John." he whispered. "I like you, too."

John backed off. He was speechless, full of rage yet there was something else that was bigger, something that took control over him within the fraction of a second: desire. John took a leap forward, now standing directly in front of Henry who seemed smaller all of a sudden, softer, anything but threatening.

John held his breath, closed his eyes, knowing he'd only have this one chance to make it right. He grabbed Henry by the waist and pulled him close against his body. The chains rattled and Henry moaned in pain.

"Oh, does that hurt you?" John said looking down at Henry and bracing his wrists which were sore from the handcuffs. "Poor you."

"Yes. Yes, it hurts." Henry's eyes glistened as he licked his lips. "But don't stop." he whispered.

Encouraged by this, John pushed Henry towards his bed, forcing him to sit down. "Do you want me to untie you?" John asked in a sudden haze of insecurity.

"Where'd be the fun in that?" Henry said and lifted his hurting hands to open John's trouser belt.

John let his hands run through Henry's ruffled hair, softly at first then he pulled at it causing Henry to throw his head back.

"Open your mouth and close your eyes." John said putting emphasis on every single word while pulling his pants down.

And Henry, after examining John closely, did as he was ordered: opened his mouth, closed his eyes and waited.

John was dazzled by how easy it was to make Henry do as he wished. He wondered what else he could make him do but for now this was more than he had hoped for. Slowly he moved closer to Henry's face, using a hand to put just the tip of his cock between Henry's wet lips.

John shivered when Henry instantly started teasing him with his tongue, making it impossible to resist the urge to slide all the way into Henry's mouth.

He put one hand at the back of Henry's neck and used the other to prop himself against the wall for his legs got weaker and weaker with every move Henry made. With a gasp John came and looked down at Henry who was sucking in every last bead of liquid from him and swallowing it.

Henry opened his eyes and gave John a look that begged for a return of the favour. John didn't need to be asked twice and went down on his knees. He put his face in front of Henry's, resting there for countless moments until he built up enough courage to kiss him. His lips tasted of semen, of sweat and dry blood. At the same time John opened Henry's trousers with one hand while the other was back in his neck, this time holding him softer than before. He let one hand slide into Henry's pants where he was hard and desperate for John's touch.

"Does that feel good?" John said and started stroking him firmly.

"Yes!"

"How about this?" he asked and let his other hand slide from the back of Henry's neck to the front and slowly tightened his grip making it harder for Henry to breathe. Henry mouthed "yes", instantly followed by the reflex to free his neck from John's grip.

John let go and locked eyes with Henry. "You pinch me when you need me to stop, okay?"

"Okay." Henry said and took a deep breath before John placed his hand back where it was, cutting off Henry's air supply for as long as he could take it. When he could see in Henry's eyes that he was about to climax he let go of his neck and pressed his lips on those of the other man.

Henry moaned with pleasure and held his breath when eventually John tipped him over the edge and he spilled his semen all over John's hand.

They stared at each other for a while, unable to find words that seemed sensible in that situation.

"I'm... I'm gonna bring you something to clean yourself up." John stuttered and went to the kitchen where he washed Henry's semen off his hands. He tried to shake that surreal feeling that kept creeping up in his stomach. Nothing ever felt so wrong like what he just did, what he made Henry do. But nothing ever felt so good either. He splashed some water in his face, tried to think clearly and went back into Henry's room to hand him a towel.

"I take it your silence means that you don't plan on doing this again." Henry said and reached for the towel.

"I don't want to take advantage of this situation, Henry."

Henry let out a sarcastic laugh. "You just did! But to be fair – so did I."

John shook his head, trying to sort his thoughts. "Just… clean up and hand back that towel, will you?"

Henry did as he was told but when John reached for the towel Henry made sure to stroke his hand just a little, barely noticeable but enough to soften John's mode. "I'll try to be back tomorrow. Not a word to anyone, you understand?!" he said and closed the door behind him before Henry could reply. John made sure the door was locked, to keep Henry in there where he could control him and went to get a shower.