CHAPTER 1

Worick bolted upright in his bed, the pounding of his heart so loud it drowned out all other sound. He struggled to catch his breath, running a shaky hand through his long blonde hair. Placing a hand over his left eye socket, he closed his right eye, doing his best to stave off the stabbing pain. Images of his past flashed through his mind, playing in an endless loop of violence and abuse. It didn't matter whether his eyes were opened or closed, nothing could block out the gruesome black and white scenes stained crimson with blood.

Taking a deep breath, Worick blew it out slow and steady. He couldn't help but laugh at his own weakness, the breathy chuckle bursting unexpectedly from his lips. Most days he could keep the darkness at bay, but there were moments in between the long spans of clarity, when Worick couldn't beat it down. Days when he couldn't cover the pain and anger with a charming smile or his roguish laughter. And although these instances were few and far between, comparable to the span of a single heart beat over an entire lifetime, when they hit it was like a sledgehammer to the chest, sudden and crippling.

Worick kicked his legs over the edge of his bed, pressing his bare feet to the cool floor. He was dressed only in a pair of underwear, his hair loose around his broad shoulders. Grunting as he got to his feet, he staggered to the door, keenly aware of how much alcohol he'd consumed the night before. He reached blindly for his cigarettes, squinting his one eye to see if there were any left in the pack.

"Empty," he groaned, tossing the crumpled package into the trash can by the door.

The door knob was cold against his palm, his first clue that his temperature was higher than normal. Worick pulled the door open, leaning heavily on the frame. The sun had barely risen, its light and warmth struggling to reach the open window of the apartment. Nic was already awake, glancing up at Worick as he straightened his shirt.

"Deliveries?" Worick asked, rubbing his chest and yawning widely.

Nic grunted in response, grabbing the packages off the table. He made his way to the door, pausing when he caught his first good look at Worick. It was too late... There was no time for Worick to hide the expression on his face. Nic had seen it enough times to recognize the truth concealed behind his pale blue eyes.

"It's not what you think," Worick said, the corner of his mouth lifting in a casual smile. "I'm fine."

Nic made no reply, but his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Don't give me that look," Worick groaned, rubbing his empty eye socket with the palm of his hand. "Do what you gotta do. I'm fine here."

Nic remained rooted to the floor, his intense gaze still locked on Worick. This was the problem with spending so much time with one person. They know you in ways you don't even know yourself, peering into the darkness of your soul and exposing the truth you fought so hard to bury.

The phone rang, but since Nic was deaf, he heard nothing. His eyes remained glued on Worick, his expression completely unreadable.

Worick lifted his hand to his ear, forming the shape of a phone. "I gotta take that," he said, grateful for an excuse to turn away from Nic's piercing gaze. "You're not the only one with a job today."

Nic watched Worick answer the phone. His back was to Nic, so he couldn't read the male's lips, but the stiffness in his partner's frame was all the evidence Nic needed.

He left Worick to his work, heading out the door to make his deliveries. It was only a matter of time before his contract holder was swallowed by the shadows of his wretched past, and it was up to Nic to make sure that didn't happen. He would, as always, be Worick's anchor, taking his hand and leading him away from the ever-encroaching darkness...

CHAPTER 2

Worick pressed his hands to the door of his bedroom, his entire body shaking like a drug addict craving the next hit. His skin was covered in a thin layer of perspiration, strands of his blonde hair clinging to his forehead and neck. He was furious with himself, cursing his sudden vulnerability. He felt like a child again, weak and helpless as he watched the walls cave in on him. The image of his father's boot heel flashed in his mind, dropping him to the floor with as much force as it had all those years ago.

The spot where his eye had once been throbbed, the pain like a bullet to the brain. He shrank into the corner of his room, pulling his knees to his chest. His skin was on fire, his every breath like daggers in his lungs. He could hardly see straight, his vision swimming so violently that the present started to merge with the past.

It was then that Worick's bedroom door opened. Nic stepped into the darkness, the whites of his eyes glowing in the moonlight. Worick huddled behind the shadow of the door, filled with shame as he drowned in an ocean of self-pity and regret. Nic's strong arms yanked him off the floor, tossing him onto the bed.

"I'm fine," Worick rasped, trying to bring Nic's face into focus. "I just need... I need..."

"Don't fight," Nic muttered, pulling off the shirt he wore and tossing it to the floor. Worick tried to stand, but Nic pushed him back onto the bed. "Don't fight," he repeated.

Worick fell back against the mattress, his head hitting the wall the bed sat against. His body felt heavy, like a weight had been place squarely on his chest. He covered his face with his arm, struggling to push down the bile rising up his throat. Nic unbuckled Worick's belt and undid his pants, tugging them down to his ankles along with his underwear. Worick tried to shift out of his partner's grasp, irritated at how easily Nic was able to subdue him.

"Nic, don't..."

The heat of Nic's mouth wrapped around Worick's thick length, the sensitive tip of his cock brushing past Nic's teeth and hitting the back of the male's throat. Worick groaned in a combination of frustration and relief, pleasure washing over him and alleviating the tightness in his chest.

Worick closed his eyes, lifting his hips off the bed and forcing every inch of his dick down Nic's seemingly endless throat. Worick couldn't help himself, the faster and harder Nic sucked, the easier it was for him to lose himself in the pleasure. He thread his fingers through Nic's hair, his grip tightening as he fckked the back of the male's contracting throat.

Nic gagged and choked, his wheezing gasps making Worick's balls tighten in anticipation of his climax. Something about the sound of Nic's choking heightened Worick's senses, and as his orgasm rushed forward, he was overcome with the need to watch.

Worick sat up on the bed, yanking Nic's head back by the hair. His cock popped out of his partner's sopping wet mouth, the male's teeth gently scraping the engorged tip of Worick's pulsing length on the way out. The hint of pain was all it took. Worick held Nic's head in place, jerking his dick above the male's face.

He shot his load all over Nic's face, using the head of his cock to rub it against the male's slightly part lips. When he'd pumped out the last of his cum, the last tiny droplet oozing from his dick, he shoved Nic away.

Worick got to his feet, pulling off his shirt and tossing it at Nic. "Get on the bed," he ordered, kicking off his pants.

Nic sat back on his heels, wiping the cum off his face as he regarded Worick with wary eyes.

"Don't make me say it again," Worick hissed, stroking his cock.

He was still hard, raw need coiling tightly in the pit of his belly. Excitement flooded Worick's system, and as he stared down at Nic, remnants of his cum still on his partner's face, Worick imagined all ways he would violate the savage Tag's tight little hole. Yes, his thoughts were cruel, but the darkness was a callous and demanding beast, and this was the only way Worick knew how to appease it...

Nic pulled himself up using the wall for support. He reached behind his back, pulling something from his pocket and tossing it onto the bed. Worick could tell by the shadowy outline lying atop the sheets that it was bottle of lube. He smiled, strangely aroused by Nic's preparation. And as his partner pulled off his pants, climbing naked onto the bed, Worick's cock twitched eagerly.

He signed for Nic to roll over and get up onto his hands and knees. Nic did as he was told, his muscular frame illuminated by the pale light of the moon. His body was littered with scars, some of which Worick had stitched up himself. And though Nic was one of the most dangerous and vicious Worick had ever known, the male knelt before him now, vulnerable and completely exposed.

Worick ran a hand up Nic's thigh and over his ass, grabbing the bottle of lubricant off the bed and flicking the lid open with his thumb. Squeezing a dollop onto his fingers, he spread Nic open, rubbing the cold liquid onto his puckered hole. Worick licked his lips, using his grip on Nic's hip to steady himself.

With more restraint than he thought possible, Worick slid his finger inside Nic, delving deep to find the secret spot he was so intimately familiar. Nic shifted uneasily, his hands clenching the sheets though he made no sound. The corners of Worick's lips lifted in a dark smile, the thought of Nic in pain making his cock jump and a fresh drop of cum leak from the tip.

This wasn't about desire or pleasure. For Worick, it was about control. A need to dominate a situation so completely that all he could see was the certainty of the next moment. Nic's submission was so perfect, and so completely uncharacteristic, that the image of his broken body after a night of forbidden passion was the only thing that could renew Worick's sense of stability. It held the darkness in check, clearing his mind and temporarily ending the nightmares plaguing his slumber and dogging his every waking moment.

Worick inserted a second finger, stretching Nic open as he massaged his core. Nic grew wetter by the second, his succulent hole devouring Worick's fingers with sloppy wet sucking noises. It was hard for Worick to take his time, and after a minute or so of preparation, he lost all patience. He pulled his fingers free, grabbing the lube and pouring it onto his rock hard length. As he rubbed the cool liquid all over his cock, he poured more onto Nic's steaming hole.

Worick tugged Nic forward so that he knelt right at the edge of the bed. In order to give himself more leverage, Worick propped his foot on the edge of the mattress, bracing his hand against the wall in front of him.

With his other hand, he positioned his cock at Nic's entrance, allowing the tip to slide in and out a few times. Nic trembled as Worick rimmed his hole, the sound of his teeth grinding sending a shiver of impatience up Worick's spine. Without so much as signal of warning, Worick slammed into Nic's slick heat, hissing in exquisite agony as the tight wetness wrapped around his cock.

Nic's hand flew up, gripping the windowsill with white knuckle force. He remained absolutely silent despite the obvious pain he was in, and his lack of response made Worick somehow angry. He grabbed Nic by the hair, forcing him face down onto the mattress as he pounded mercilessly into his rigid frame.

"This is your fault," Worick whispered, knowing full well that Nic couldn't hear him. "You... you make me do this."

Worick snatched Nic off the bed by his hair, wrapping his other hand around the male's throat. Forcing Nic's back into a deep arch, he titled his partner's head back and pushed the male's broad chest out. Pressing his brow to the top of Nic's head, Worick deepened his strokes. He reached around, caressing Nic's taut belly and smiling in morbid satisfaction when he felt the rhythmic impression of his cock pushing Nic's stomach outward with each violent stroke.

Worick paused for a minute, burying his cock deep inside his partner. He wrapped one arm around Nic's chest, gripping his partner's waist with the other as he ground his hips against Nic's firm ass. His cock was so deep, swirling inside Nic's sopping wet hole and massaging the secret spot hidden within its depths.

Finally, Nic let out a guttural moan, grasping Worick's hand and lacing their fingers together. The act of intimacy made Worick cringe. Pulling his cock out of Nic, he flipped the male around and forced him flat on his back. He took hold of Nic's ass, holding it up so he could slam back into the male's dripping hole.

Nic squeezed his eyes shut, covering them with his forearm as Worick pounded into him. Reaching out a trembling arm, Nic blindly grabbed Worick's hip. His grip was insistent, somewhere between a silent plea for Worick to fck him harder and one begging him to stop.

Worick pulled Nic's arm away from his face, grabbing his partner by the jaw. "Look at me," he commanded, holding Nic's wild gaze with his own. "Tell me who you belong to."

Nic swallowed, his brow furrowing as if he didn't understand the words. Worick's grip tightened, anger swelling in his chest.

"Say it," Worick hissed.

"Yours," Nic grunted.

The confession, simple as it was, immediately dispelled the rage building inside Worick. It was a relief to hear the words from Nic's own lips. A relief he would never admit aloud.

"I'll never let you go," Worick moaned, grinding slowly against his lover. "Not until I've used completely. Not until there's nothing left of me to save."

Nic turned away from his partner's penetrating gaze, refueling Worick's irritation.

"Look at me!" Worick commanded, tearing off his eye patch and grabbing Nic's face once more. "I want you to look at me while I break you!"

Worick increased his pace, all regard for Nic's well-being draining from his damaged heart. The bed groaned and creaked with the force of his thrusts, the frame threatening to break under the weight of their bodies. Worick stared down into Nic's defiant gaze, waiting patiently for the beautiful, inevitable moment when Nic finally surrendered. The look of utter defeat in Nic's hooded gaze was like salve on and open wound. Like a drug, it coursed through Worick's veins, making his heart race and his blood boil. The darkness would become light once more, restoring all the color to once fading world.

Worick took hold of Nic's cock, stroking the throbbing length in rhythm with his vicious thrusts. A reluctant moan slipped between Nic's clenched teeth, the involuntary sound bringing a smile to Worick's lips.

"You're close," Worick whispered. "I can tell by the way your ass is strangling my dick."

Nic's back arched off the bed, his trembling hand covering Worick's slightly larger one and forcing him to squeeze harder and move faster. Worick had seen Nic cum so many times, that he could literally pinpoint the exact moment the male's orgasm would hit. The walls of Nic's ass contracted, the vice-like grip so tight it had Worick riding the thin line between pleasure and pain.

"Fck... me..." Worick groaned, wrapping his hand around the base of Nic's cock and squeezing tightly. "Any tighter and you'll take my dick off."

Nic let out a sound somewhere between a grunt and a whimper. Every muscle in his body clenched, his eyes filling with involuntary tears as Worick held him right on the cusp of orgasm.

Worick had expected this to be the moment Nic surrendered. The moment when all the light and life drained from his eyes, giving Worick a clear view of his fractured and damaged soul. It was, by far, the most exquisite expression Worick had ever witnessed, and the fact that no one had ever seen it except for him made Worick's heart swell with unfathomable emotion.

Was it love he felt in those moments? Was it hate? Or worse yet, was it some dark and twisted combination of both? As Worick waited for his partner's inevitable defeat, he realized he didn't want to know the answer. For when he learned the truth of his feelings for Nic, he knew that it would be the end. The emotions toiling in his heart would be named. They would become real and tangible and therefore... meaningless. Worick would finally be able to cut the ties that bound their souls once and for all, a thought that brought both relief and absolute terror.

"Do you wanna cum?" Worick murmured, leaning so close that his mouth hovered inches from Nic's parted lips.

Nic said nothing, clawing at the hand Worick had wrapped around his dick. His desperation amused Worick, eliciting a throaty chuckle that rumbled deep into his chest.

"I love it when you fight," Worick whispered, pressing an almost tender kiss to the corner of Nic's left eye.

Nic flinched at the unexpected contact, his breath catching in his throat.

"You know what I want," Worick taunted, making sure Nic could read his lips. "Fight if you want, but remember I can do this all night."

Nic swallowed, his eyes going wide for the span of one jagged breath. Worick continued his passionate assault, fcking Nic until the male's juices started to drip from his ravaged hole and onto the tangled sheets.

"Say the word," Worick hissed, his own orgasm rushing forward.

"P-please," Nic bit out.

It was better than Worick remembered. The desolation in Nic's lust-filled gaze, the lines of weariness and defeat framing his dark eyes, it sent Worick tumbling over the edge of bliss. He released his grip on Nic's cock, timing it so that they both came at the exact same moment.

Worick filled Nic's spasming hole to the brim, each contraction of the male's ass muscles milking the cum from Worick's cock. Nic tried to hold back his cry of pleasure, but Worick knew it would be impossible. He covered Nic's mouth with his own, catching the guttural sound with the heat of his mouth. Nic's strangled cry turned into a low moan, his lips parting so that Worick's questing tongue could slip into the warm wet cavern of his mouth.

Worick waited until the remnants of his orgasm had faded before he broke the kiss, collapsing on top of Nic's hard body. They were both breathless and spent, the rapid beating of their hearts falling in line with each other. It would take several long moments before either of them moved.

"Do you feel that?" Worick asked, sitting up so that Nic could see him properly.

Nic nodded his head weakly, shifting his hips and moaning softly at the feel of Worick's cock growing hard inside him once more.

"We're not done," Worick said, pulling out of Nic's dripping hole. "Get up," he commanded, signing the order so there was no confusion between them. Worick laid down at the opposite side of the bed, pointing to Nic and then his cock. "Sit on it," he ordered.

Nic sat up, taking hold of Worick's cock and straddling the male's waist. Cum dripped from Nic's ass, hitting the tip of Worick's dick and leaving a trail of scorching heat as it slid lazily down the side of the throbbing length. Worick's balls tightened in impatience. Grabbing Nic by the waist, he slammed him down onto his dick.

Nic winced, but made no sound. He stared down at Worick, his expression one of absolute obedience.

"Ride me," Worick commanded, flicking the tip of Nic's dick with his finger.

Nic hissed as if in pain, but the drop of cum oozing from the tip of his cock gave his pleasure away.

"Faster," Worick ordered, rubbing the droplet of cum between the slit of Nic's cock before tucking his hands behind his head. "Make that dick bounce," he added, smiling as he grabbed the pillow and propped himself up. "And spread your legs. I wanna see."

Nic opened as wide as he could, leaning back on his palms and bouncing up and down on Worick's massive length. It was an incredibly erotic sight, and every time Nic's dick would slap against Worick's taut belly, his ass muscles would clench.

"Good boy," Worick said, smiling wickedly. "Show me how much you want this dick. Prove to me who you belong to..."

CHAPTER 3

Worick stumbled out of his room some time after dawn, his wrinkled sheet wrapped around his waist. Nic's scent still clung to him, the smell of their sex heavy in the air. To his undying shame, his limp cock twitched at the memory of their night together.

He expected to find Nic still in his arms. Worick had been insatiable the night before, taking Nic over and over in position after position. They'd fucked on every surface of Worick's room, at one point moving to the living room for several intense rounds. They'd knocked the couch onto its back and broken the wooden table, sending them and their phone crashing to the floor.

This of course didn't stop them, and after a short recess involving Nic sucking Worick off a second time, they'd managed to finish their sex binge with a quickie against the doorframe of Worick's bedroom.

The last thing Worick remembered was falling to the floor, pulling Nic's broken and exhausted frame into the hollow of his body. He'd fallen asleep shortly after, Nic cradled in his arms. Despite this last coherent memory, Worick had woken up tucked into his bed, no sign of Nic anywhere.

Worick found Nic in the living room, buttoning up a shirt he'd just pulled on. Other than the dark circles underneath his eyes, he appeared to be completely fine. The couch had been set right and the table fixed. Everything was in its place, no visible signs of last night's activities anywhere.

The phone rang just as Worick started for the bathroom. Nic, of course, couldn't hear it, but it was Worick's movement that caught his attention. Nic acknowledged his partner's presence then returned to buttoning his shirt. Worick answered the phone, surprised to find Inspector Adkins on the other end. After agreeing to meet in an hour, Worick hung up the phone and turned to Nic, tapping him on the arm to get his attention.

"We got a job."

Nic nodded in reply, walking over to the window and leaning against the frame. There he would wait until Worick was dressed and ready to go.

There was no point in discussing what had taken place the night before. Both he and Nic would do as they always did, carrying on as if nothing had ever happened. For the time being, Worick's demons had been silenced and life could once again return to normal. That is, until the next time...

END~