Notes: This fic was... a trip, honestly. I enjoyed writing it so, so much and did a fair bit of research for it - a lot, in fact, considering that it's essentially a PWP.
Written by the prompts honeymoon, handcuffs and collar. Can be read as a standalone, but it's sort of preceded by standing on the cliff face and crimson secrets and forbidden bliss, both of which set up the 'verse and both of which you can find on my profile.
Hope you enjoy it and feedback is always welcome!
Under the light of the setting sun streaming through the windows, the band on Alec's ring finger was an even more startling sight against the pale line of Jonathan's throat than he had imagined it would be. He hadn't had the time to get used to it – would never get the chance, most likely – but it was still quite something, especially when accompanied by the half-panicked, half-impatient racing of the pulse under his hold. He didn't need to press too hard to feel the steel of the choker, warmed up by the skin it was pressed against, dig into his hand. When Jonathan's eyes fluttered shut, he knew that the reminder had been acknowledged.
"Alec." It was an invitation as much as encouragement as fingers wrapped around his wrist to guide him in a decidedly more hazardous position. "Still can't wrap your mind around it?" Alec shook his head. "Me neither."
"It's just a mundane ceremony," Alec said, the words as empty as said ceremony had been supposed to be. He pulled the clasp to the front so that he could take it off and put it on the nightstand and somehow, it felt more intimate than it ever had before. He should have probably taken off their rings next – this wasn't an announcement either of them wanted to make in front of the Institute through mundane tokens of affection that they'd forgotten to hide – but he didn't, preferring instead to focus on the main reason they'd decided to come here. "We wouldn't even exist in their archives without magic."
"And you still organised us a honeymoon?"
A night or two at Four Seasons didn't really classify as a honeymoon, Alec felt, but he had no intention of voicing that thought. The room was spacious and they'd been left alone and that was more than either of them could say about the Institute. There was no need to ruin the illusion when they were both content with it.
"I did," he said in the end. This entire ordeal had demanded quite a bit of dedication to get organised and even if the perpetuator of all the weird accidents around the wedding chapel had turned out to be nothing but a Seelie, the process that had gone into figuring that out had been less than smooth. In the end, they'd just had to go through with the marriage and it wouldn't be difficult to convince the Clave that the mission had taken longer than expected because of the complicated mundane rituals that they'd had to abide by. The Institute could survive on its own for forty-eight hours, he'd figured, and plus, "I'm not bringing this back to the Institute."
"Yes, you are."
"Yes, I am," Alec conceded as he pried the packaging open, not without some trepidation. He wasn't sure what exactly to expect, but it wasn't like they hadn't talked about this – Jonathan had insisted on it and Alec had ended up making the purchase on a whim in order to not change his mind in the meantime. The idea had started off innocently enough, with the piece of jewellery that Jonathan was now carrying around his neck, and had evolved into something much different somewhere around the time when Alec had tugged on it on instinct during sex and Jonathan had come so hard that for a moment, Alec had been convinced that he'd blacked out. They'd been tentatively pushing the idea further ever since then and, well, if Alec was using this assignment as an excuse to actually get anywhere with it, then no one could blame him for it. They'd earned a break, no matter how short-lasting it would be.
"Show me," Jonathan demanded and Alec handed him half of the purchase while he fought with the wrappings around the smaller package. If this was what he thought it was, he wanted to be the one to do it – and it didn't disappoint. Alec fumbled the strap open while also trying to wrap his mind around what he was seeing.
The dark brown leather was smooth and sleek, even more empathised by the gold patch in the middle. There was a ring attached to the front and Alec fished inside the box some more until he found the companion piece – another strip of leather with a hook on the end and, oh. He was just about to comment when his attention shifted to Jonathan and the pair of matching handcuffs that he was dangling in front of him.
Oh didn't quite cut it.
Jonathan's already overly bright eyes looked almost glassy now as he handed him the rest of the equipment and relaxed against the pillows again, looking about as giddy and yet decisive as Alec felt. They were both suspended in the moment and the tension only broke when Alec finally leant in for a kiss, purposeful and hungry and everything they hadn't allowed themselves to be in that mundane chapel – they didn't need to hold back now and the thought alone sent a thrill racing through him, one of Alec's hands pawing blindly at Jonathan's wrists until he extended them over his head while the other curled around his now bare throat again. Even without the collar, the implication alone was enough for Jonathan to groan and arch against him, eager for more of the same.
"Come here," Alec urged as soon as they broke apart for air. This was important and he wasn't going to downplay it because of the impatience they kept feeding between each other and luckily, Jonathan understood. Of course he did – this had been mainly his idea to begin with.
It was a good thing that they were both already naked, Alec thought; he didn't think he could feel more exposed than he did now and he wasn't the one sprawled on a bed waiting to be collared. Angel. Why had he agreed to this? He was already responsible for an Institute's worth of people, but this was different. It was too much and he was putting too much faith in him and what if—
"Alec."
The sound of his name, quieter but more encouraging this time, was what brought him out of the upward spiral of doubt before he'd had the chance to give up on the entire ordeal. For better or for worse, Jonathan had trusted him with this and he wouldn't let him down; not when they'd got this far already.
"Here," he said mostly to himself and sat up on the still-made bed, taking hold of the handcuffs again. They were made of the same awfully soft leather that he'd imagined when he'd made his order and tying them around the headboard of the bed before pushing the locks closed around Jonathan's wrists felt more like a caress than anything else. He wasn't alone in that impression, it seemed - Jonathan tugged on them experimentally and, at the feeling of the resistance against the movement, grinned up at him with a smile that couldn't be described as anything but wicked. They'd tried this before, experimented with makeshift materials they'd scavenged from the Institute's armoury, but this felt infinitely more real and far more pleasant - Jonathan had been hard since the moment they'd entered the hotel room and had undressed each other, but Alec felt him twitch now as he came closer again, the temptation to kiss him too great when compared to continuing the ritual right away.
Jonathan's thighs wrapped around Alec's waist readily and Alec had to smother the impulse to laugh when the chain wrapped around the metal frame of the bed rattled insistently at his lover's attempt to bring his hands into the action. It was an instinct born of habit, nothing more, but it was exciting all the same - the realisation that Jonathan was at his mercy now, restless and more affected than he was willing to admit and absolutely helpless. That was the idea he'd taunted him with at the beginning of this, Alec remembered; how he'd have to stay in charge no matter what, and he couldn't deny that it worked.
It was daunting, having this kind of power over anyone, but it was also far too exhilarating for him to disregard and that paired with Jonathan's warm body pressing up closer to him at every given opportunity was more than enough to leave him painfully hard in no time at all. He felt drunk on it, the shallow breaths he pressed against Jonathan's lips making him even more lightheaded than he'd already been and Alec fished for the lube he'd left at the bedside table, hastily coating his fingers in some of it just enough to ease the friction as he pushed a hand between them and wrapped it around both their erections. It felt nice if not quite enough and he found himself groaning as well, thrusting into his own shallow grip, chasing after the slightest hint of stimulation.
"Don't move," he ordered as soon as Jonathan made to protest, one of his arms twisting in an effort to bring him closer. They'd established a safe word a long time ago and if he had anything to say, he would; Alec was sure of it. It was difficult to render him this awfully quiet under normal circumstances, really, and it was the only testament he needed of just how affected he was.
"Then hurry up," Jonathan countered, tone almost accusatory and expression growing even more agitated when Alec couldn't help himself and actually laughed. It was impossible not to at this point - the sight of him, face flushed and gaze heated while he did his best to be angry as if he wasn't the one who'd specifically requested this, was too much to resist. "You said that—"
"I didn't lie," Alec interrupted, wiping his hand into the edge of the pristine sheets before reaching for the collar. "Here. Is this what you want?"
You know damn well what I want. It was what Jonathan would have said if he'd opted to keep up the pretence, but instead he took a deep breath and nodded, pulling away again so that he could lie against the pillows, as exposed before him as he could get in this position. "Yes," he said instead, voice more contained that Alec had ever heard it before.
"Good." A little out of his depth but determined to see this through, Alec carefully unlocked the back of the collar and held it open until it was wide enough to slip around Jonathan's neck and click closed once he was done. It was a perfect fit - there had never been any doubt about that, of course, but it still felt more surreal than Alec had expected it to. He had done this; he was the driving force behind Jonathan's hungry eyes and the way he trembled in Alec's arms once he let go of the collar and wrapped them around him.
Jonathan was a vision spread out in front of him like this. Alec's mind, hazy with arousal as it was, focused on every single small detail he knew as well as the back of his own hand by now - his startlingly bright eyes, his hair fanned over the pillow once he stopped half-heartedly trying to sit up, his skin almost translucent with the thin sheen of sweat that already covered him - before settling back on the claim he'd just left.
It felt much more significant than it should have. The concept wasn't an unfamiliar one at this point. They'd been talking about it for a while and Jonathan had always made a point of mentioning how this was the most crucial part of it for him – the feeling of belonging somewhere where he should have had no place to begin with. It should have felt easy and casual but, just like the supposed wedding that they'd laughed about on the way here, Alec found it almost overloaded with a meaning that he would need quite a while to decipher.
I love you, he almost said, as startled by the realisation as he was resigned with it, but he tugged on the short leash instead, relishing in Jonathan's choked-off gasp.
"Come on," he urged, the encouragement bordering on cooing but just firm enough to do the trick. It wouldn't do to forget what his role in this was now.
~.~
If there was one thing Jonathan loved more than the sex itself, it was the devastating focus in Alec's hazel eyes when he looked down at him like this. It was enough to make him feel hot all over and more excited than would have been appropriate considering that they hadn't even done anything yet. He could feel his own body's reactions to the stimulation too, but it was as if from a distance; muted and pale when compared to the maelstrom in his mind.
It was ridiculous, he knew, to still be so enraptured by it after all this time, but the attention that came with it was a heady drug nonetheless, no matter how often Alec made it clear that he was here to stay. He could never get enough of it and the fact that he'd done what he had to get them both here – alone and undisturbed, finally – made it even better.
So really, if there was one thing Jonathan loved more than the sex itself, it had to be Alec. He wasn't about to tell him that since he'd actually gathered the strength to tie him to the bed and lay his mark with the collar just like he'd promised he would, but it was something worth sparing a thought to, especially when Alec closed his fist around the leash and pulled him closer, cutting off the majority of his airflow in one swift move.
If something went wrong and he died, Jonathan suspected, he would die a happy man.
He nodded quickly when he saw Alec's resolve faltering at his sudden shift of demeanour and it had just the result he'd hoped for - the tugging intensified until Jonathan was pulled up into a half-sitting position, still curled around Alec's body, the collar's grip around his throat even tighter than before. The leather was softer than he'd expected, but the edges still dug into his skin just the way he'd hoped for. It made him nearly delirious even just like this, before they'd done much of anything, and he couldn't say he was surprised. The day they were leaving behind now had felt almost like a fever dream from the start and it was overwhelming to think about how much had happened since this morning; how much had changed while they'd both somehow remained the same. The promise of this that Alec had whispered in his ear over a week ago while they'd planned the mission out had been the only thing missing and now that they'd reached this stage as well, he couldn't stop himself from blurting out, "Please fuck me now."
Much to his amusement, Alec's cheeks turned a mild shade of red as soon as he'd spoken despite the still resolute expression on his face. After the nearly year and a half that they'd spent together, he still couldn't appreciate the charm of even the most basic piece of dirty talk. But that was Alec for you, Jonathan thought fondly – straight to the point whatever the situation. He'd taken the time to research everything about his request after he'd first mentioned it and had dutifully followed along, seemingly starting to enjoy it along the way even if for him, it all boiled down to the same thing – the pleasure they both got out of it. He was pleased when he could please, Jonathan had noticed, and that had made his acceptance of his new role that much easier.
True to form, "Okay," he said simply and turned his attention to the bottle of lube that he'd tossed to the side earlier. The sudden shift of focus made Jonathan feel both frustrated and eager and he tugged at his handcuffs again, wanting to touch but not wanting to be set free at the same time. It was a peculiar thing because he liked to participate, really; liked feeling Alec's ridiculously soft hair in his grip, liked wringing out the breathy little noises that usually got him with something as simple as tugging on the dark strands when he wanted to urge him on. It was just that the only thing that was somehow better was being restricted from doing exactly that, unable to voice what he wanted with anything but words. Maybe not even that if Alec was a little firmer or decided to gag him, or— And that would have been an even more fascinating line of thought if Alec hadn't chosen that particular moment to press his fingers against him without any warning whatsoever. Jonathan tensed and then relaxed, the ring of his collar clinking against the now loose leash as he tried to look down at his— Raziel help them both, his husband.
It wouldn't take long, he knew, not after they'd woken up before sunrise this morning and Alec had very seriously assured him that sex was the best way to release the tension before an important mission, but it still felt good to watch, to follow Alec's every move as he spread him open with his fingers, a thin smile twisting his lips when Jonathan drew his knees closer to his body in an effort to give him as much space as possible. Alec took the invitation for what it was and it was a good thing, really, that he hadn't thought to get restrictions for his ankles as well. They might have to rectify that next time.
"You don't—" Jonathan started after a while, a shiver making the words die on his tongue before he'd had the chance to make his point. "That's enough."
Alec stopped abruptly enough to pull another involuntary whine out of him. "You're sure?"
"Yes, yes." He couldn't really be irritated when Alec had already done so much to accommodate him, but it was difficult not to rush things at this point. It felt like he'd been waiting forever. Alec seemed to sympathise – his eyes had grown even darker in the dusk of the room, fixed on Jonathan's even as he shifted in another attempt to be enticing. "Do you want me to beg?"
"Not this time," Alec said easily and rose to his knees, gently pushing Jonathan on his back so that he could settle between his spread legs. His arms were braced on both sides of his pillow, fingers experimentally tugging on the chains of his cuffs to see if they would hold, just in case. After the check-up apparently proved satisfactory, he bent down a little further for a kiss and Jonathan melted in his embrace, responding eagerly even through the gasp that forced its way out of him once Alec was finally inside him.
It was always the same impression of feeling too much and wanting even more all at once and it made him want to grasp at Alec's neck and bring him closer, get him to be rougher if he wanted to, but he couldn't, could he, and that had been the point, even if now it just resulted in him arching his back and wrapping his legs around his lover's waist once Alec started moving, his heels digging into the small of his back and spurring him on. Alec didn't let that affect him in the slightest and his movements were attentive but unhurried, his kisses even lighter than before. He was intent on taking his time, it seemed, and Jonathan knew from experience that trying to convince him when he already had something on his mind rarely had any impact.
It didn't make much difference. If Alec had wanted to draw things out, then now wasn't really the time for it – Jonathan was so worked up at this point that what little friction he could get from where his cock was pressed against Alec's stomach was all the stimulation he needed to try and claw at his lover's shoulders again, letting out a frankly embarrassing sound when all that achieved was another rattle of his chains. "Alec," he complained – or needled, he wasn't sure – and got a laugh in response, quiet and breathless and full of exactly the appraisal he'd been hoping for.
"Too much?"
"No." Or maybe it was, Jonathan wasn't sure. The sensations definitely weren't the problem, but saying so would still feel like a lie and it was this, this that actually felt overwhelming – how different and new it all was and how easy it turned out to be to reduce him to monosyllabic responses once Alec put his mind to it. "Yes. I don't know, it's—"
"I know." Another pull on the collar followed by more fiddling with the chains again and Jonathan closed his eyes again, both to welcome the kiss that followed and because the visual somehow managed to make it all even more intense. And of course Alec would be able to tell; he did know and he would take care of it, would take care of everything— "Do you," Alec's pace sped up and Jonathan mustered the strength to look up at him again just to see the already familiar expression of him on the verge of losing control – it never failed to have the desired effect, not with Alec's unwavering attention directed to him and the heat flaring up in his eyes. Even now, it was enough to be the undoing of them both. Whatever Alec had meant to say trailed off in favour of him bracing himself precariously against the bed on one hand while the other wrapped around Jonathan's cock, the rhythm he set almost an afterthought to his thrusts, suddenly hard enough for Jonathan to try and wrap his legs around him even tighter, aching to push Alec's hair away from his face so that he could look at him again, let him know what he wanted without having to voice it.
As it turned out, he didn't need to do so even now. It hadn't been all that long and yet it felt like Alec had been pushing him towards this for hours and the last thing he felt before he came was the tension coiling up in his throat again as he tried to come up for another kiss, and— that was all he'd needed, really, all he'd wanted and Jonathan heard himself cry out, vaguely aware of how mortifying it would have been to let go so effortlessly if Alec hadn't been the one to catch him. He shivered, overstimulation starting to take hold as Alec chased his own orgasm and barely mustered the willpower to look up at him to see it happen.
He was always a sight, if Jonathan was honest with himself, but it was entirely different now – Alec's eyes were still foggy with desire even as he pulled away and rest his head on the pillow next to his own, his breathing still somewhat shallow and his face breaking into a smile.
"That thing," Jonathan croaked, soldiering on even as his voice refused to cooperate, "the collar—"
"I tied it to the bed frame," Alec cut him off. He set to work on the elaborate set of locks needed to free him, eyes straying away from Jonathan's all of a sudden. "Thought you might appreciate the surprise."
"It was, uh." Momentarily distracted by the sudden lack of pressure around his wrists, Jonathan let his train of thought go on aimlessly for a moment. "Appreciated."
"Good to know." Alec's smile was devious if a little hesitant as he got off the bed and wandered off to the nearest door, presumably the one that led to the bathroom. He looked remarkably put together and Jonathan suddenly wished that he wouldn't. The gravity of the situation – all of it – had come crashing down as soon as the high had started leaving his body and he had a thousand unanswered questions, the majority of which he strongly suspected Alec wouldn't have an answer for either. He returned a moment later with a towel and settled back on top of the covers with the clear intention of performing whatever ritual he'd done thorough research for this time and, as Jonathan's eyes slid shut on their own volition and he succumbed to sleep, the last clear thought he could manage was that if this was what marriage was supposed to be like, then maybe it'd be better to accidentally keep the rings on after a