"Let go of me!" Ryoma hissed at his holder, who complied and threw him onto the cold, mosaic-tiled floor. He winced in pain at the impact and glared in the general direction of where he guessed the guard was, but seeing as he was wearing a blindfold and restraints around his wrists, it probably wasn't very effective. So, he settled with baring his teeth and hissing sharply.
A kick was directed at his ribs, not hard enough to bruise, but certainly hard enough to make him cringe. "Get on your knees. The Prince is approaching."
Ryoma coughed once and complied slowly, panting a little. He shivered slightly, chilled by the lack of a top on. In fact, seeing as he only had a loincloth on at the moment and that he seemed to have been placed in an open environment—he felt a slight breeze blowing—he guessed that he probably was sold to a high-ranking individual if they could own an open pavilion that doubled as a courtroom.
Slowly, footsteps advanced in his direction, padding as softly as a cat. Ironically, Ryoma feared this even more than he would have if he had heard heavier steps. He kept his face down in a demure position out of habit, though he felt anything but submissive at the moment.
"So, this is the new Toy?" a soft voice said from in front of him. Ryoma felt a finger lift up his chin, the invisible eyes an almost tangible feeling as it raked over his face. When he sensed the glance moving down past his neck to his chest and lower body, he couldn't help but flush, his cheeks reddening with embarrassment at the thought that others might be in the court alongside the Prince.
"Now, let me see your eyes." The blindfold slipped off as the knot was untied. Ryoma blinked to adjust to the brightness of the noon light, and saw that he had guessed correctly about being in an outdoor pavilion. The next thing he saw was the face of the Prince, whose ice-blue eyes bore into his own.
"Ah," the Prince gasped out in surprise. "Golden eyes. What a rarity you are. Where are you from?"
Ryoma said nothing, and chose to glare back in response, baring his teeth fiercely.
"Ooh, a feisty one, are you?" The Prince lowered his head until it was beside Ryoma's. "That's just going to make things even more fun and interesting for me," he whispered into Ryoma's ear, the hot puffs making Ryoma shiver. "I just hope you don't break as fast as my other toys did."
Ryoma froze in his position as the Prince rose.
"Welcome to my dominion," he announced in a regal tone. "I am Fuji Syusuke."
Creator's Toy: Chapter 1
By Chocolate Dumpling
As Ryoma was roughly tugged up by a servant and directed towards the Prince's private washroom to clean up, he took the opportunity to observe his surroundings, noting the number of courtiers in the hall compared to the number of servants, the latter the most of whom were hidden, waiting for a summons.
A short walk later, he was pushed into an exquisitely decorated room. The floor was inlaid with pink marble tiles, and rugs of the richest fabrics were scattered over the tiles. When Ryoma saw the large, heated pool that could've doubled for a public path, he gave a scornful laugh. "How like a private prince to have such a ridiculously large bath."
"Hasn't anyone ever taught you to play nicely with others?" Fuji's voice spoke from behind Ryoma.
Ryoma spun around quickly, and staggered a little as he lost his balance, his hands still restrained by the bindings.
Fuji caught him automatically. "Leave us. I will take care of cleansing this one," he directed to the servant, who bowed deeply and left the room.
Ryoma growled and pulled away from Fuji. "Well, Prince, I have no intention of playing with you tonight," he spat out, his eyes narrowed as he backed away, searching for an exit.
Fuji saw through his actions. "You won't get very far. There are guards—more than you can count—surrounding my bedroom, not to mention the ones patrolling the hallways and the palace grounds. And they don't deal gently with runaway property," he said softly, advancing slowly upon Ryoma. "Now, it would be good idea to listen to me if you want to stay here unharmed. Come here."
Ryoma froze in his steps, his body tensing as he took in Fuji's words.
"Don't make me repeat myself, unless you feel comfortable with spreading your legs for any stranger at a common brothel, especially for your Virgin Night," Fuji said.
Ryoma shut his eyes, the dark thoughts of his past coming up in his mind. He shuddered visibly, and willed his body to relax as he walked towards Fuji, his hips unconsciously shifting from side to side in a seductive pattern, a gift—or perhaps a curse—of his long years of training as an anguisette.
"That's what I thought," Fuji said, drawing Ryoma closer. "How good are you? You look too young to have had years of training."
Ryoma's eyes flashed in anger. "Don't underestimate me. I may have a small body, but it's more than you can handle."
The corners of Fuji's mouth quirked upwards. "Is that so? Why don't you show me with a kiss?" he mocked back.
Ryoma, in a rush to prove himself, threw his arms around Fuji's neck and drew the Prince into a deep kiss, using all his skills and training in that one act, hoping to draw a gasp of pleasure from him. However, he was very surprised when Fuji deepened the kiss, a hand skimming down his back and under the loincloth he had on, and gave a suggestive squeeze that had Ryoma pulling away first, breathing erratically like a beginner.
"I win," Fuji replied happily, licking his lips.
"You cheated!" Ryoma retorted, slowing his breathing down.
"Correction: I chose to raise the stakes," Fuji replied, unperturbed. "I win, and you lose. End of story, or would you care to argue?"
Ryoma gave him another fierce glare, but decided that it would be in his own best interest to not talk back. "Yes, Prince, I understand," he replied, somehow making 'prince' sound like 'bastard'.
Hmm…a pity that you chose to back down. I would've enjoyed arguing you with you. "Why don't you begin your services by washing my back for me?" Fuji said,
"W-wait, what?" Ryoma replied, confused.
"Wash my back for me," Fuji said as he slipped off the kimono and handed it to Ryoma, who automatically took it. He slipped into the bath, welcoming the warmth of the water. "I trust you can complete such a mundane task? Or are you incompetent at even that?"
Ryoma gritted his teeth and said nothing as he laid the kimono on a hook and walked back to where Fuji was relaxing in the pool. From the back, it would've been hard to tell from the slender shoulders that it was a male, except for the fact that the hair was cut just above the nape. "If you could come closer to the edge of the pool, then I could wash your back, Prince," Ryoma suggested, seeing that Fuji was resting a few meters away.
"Why don't you come in here and join me?" Fuji suggested with a sly smile, turning to face Ryoma.
"I'd rather not, Prince," Ryoma replied stiffly, and emphasized his point by taking a seat on the edge of the bath, his feet dangling over into the water.
"You're no fun at all, you know that?" Fuji sighed and waded over to the edge and sat in between Ryoma's open legs. "I changed my mind. I want you to wash my hair as well."
Ryoma rolled his eyes and had to hold in an exasperated sigh as he picked up a bottle of hair salve and poured a small amount on Fuji's already silky hair. Though he was thoroughly annoyed at the Prince, his pliant fingers were gentle as they massaged Fuji's head.
After a few minutes of silence, Fuji spoke up.
"What's your name?" Fuji asked softly, his eyes closed in pleasure.
"…Echizen Ryoma." The answer came out reluctantly. Ryoma would've liked to inquire why Fuji asked—as it was uncommon for most owners to inquire more than the age and capabilities of someone of his status—but he felt out of place. You can ask any one of your many servants to wash your hair for you. I can do it just as well as the next person, but I'm here to serve another purpose. So, why? The whole affair thus far had Ryoma in a conundrum.
"You're surprisingly good at this, you know," Fuji commented, genuinely surprised. "I haven't been able to relax this much for a long time. Weren't you just trained for pleasure in bed?"
"Though my training was mainly focused on the art of pleasuring patrons, I had to learn various simple household tasks that might be asked of me," Ryoma explained, still confused but not unhappy with Fuji's questions.
"Ah, so your mentors had the wisdom to think ahead and outside the box," Fuji said, mirth evident in his voice. "I bet you never did picture yourself washing a patron's hair instead of, well, you know."
"…I guess not," Ryoma replied thoughtfully. "Close your eyes. I have to rinse your hair now."
"You're the boss," Fuji answered as he complied. "Well, not literally, but you get the point."
Ryoma heaved an audible sigh before he emptied the pan of warm water over Fuji's head.
Ryoma collapsed onto a cushioned chair in the Prince's bedchamber, thoroughly exhausted. His own hair was soaking wet, due to the fact that Fuji had thought it amusing to pull him into the water when he was washing the other's back. He had yelped and dragged himself out, glaring balefully back at Fuji when he did so. He had refused to come within a meter of the edge until Fuji had promised to stop playing around with him.
And now that Fuji was done with showering and was changing into the proper sleeping clothes, Ryoma sat forlornly on the chair, shivering slightly and wondering when he could depart to the servant's quarters to sleep at last. If he didn't try anything this whole time, he's certainly not going to try anything this late. He looked down at his damp loincloth and wondered when he could put on something more modest. The whole point of having presented himself in a loincloth was to tempt his new master. Obviously, that didn't work out too well. Strangely enough, Ryoma wasn't relieved at the thought.
When Fuji strolled out of the closet and saw Ryoma shivering on the chair, he was surprised. "Why haven't you changed yet? And you're going to get a cold if you don't dry off your hair," Fuji said, walking over.
Ryoma had wanted to retort that Fuji was the one that got him soaked in the first place, but decided not to. "I don't have anything to change into," he replied.
"I left a kimono for you on the bed. Hurry up and get changed."
Ryoma rose from the chair and, sure enough, there was a kimono on the bed. He picked it up and slipped into it. "Umm, this is a girl's kimono," he said.
"I know," Fuji replied, a smile on his face. "I decided that it would fit your small frame better than a male kimono."
Ryoma was too tired to argue, so he tied the sash with a simple knot. "Where—"
"Let me dry your hair before you get sick," Fuji interrupted, reaching for a small towel as he beckoned for Ryoma to sit on the edge of the bed.
Ryoma sat on the bed, too tired to argue anymore. As Fuji dried his hair, he almost fell asleep. It's been a long time since anyone's ever done this for me, Ryoma thought. When Fuji finished, Ryoma stood up slowly. "I'll depart to the servants' quarters now."
"What are you talking about?" Fuji asked. "You're staying here with me." It was a command, and one that was not to be refused.
"But…it's rather late, and I don't think I can give you what you're looking for," Ryoma replied, genuinely exhausted. "Get another one of your Toys to play with for tonight."
"But, I'm interested in you at the moment," Fuji replied. When Ryoma hesitated still, he added, "Just sleep with me for tonight."
"Just to sleep, nothing else?"
"Nothing else," Fuji promised.
Ryoma slipped under the covers and turned his back to Fuji, lying as close to the edge as possible.
"What are you doing?" Fuji asked in an amused tone as he got into the bed.
"You said to sleep in the same bed. You didn't say where," Ryoma said, his voice muffled as he enveloped himself with the thick cover.
"Your choice," Fuji replied as he scooted close to Ryoma and threw an arm around his waist. "You're not going to have a lot of room to move in the night, then."
"Get off of me," Ryoma said, trying to pull Fuji's arm off his waist, but was unable to do so as the arm tightened.
"Like you said, I'm here just to sleep beside you. Nothing else. Now go to sleep," Fuji commanded, his voice already slurred with drowsiness.
Ryoma bit his lip, uncomfortable with having Fuji's sleeping form spooned up to his own. If someone had told me that my first night would be spent in my patron's bed without doing anything particularly lustful, then I would've laughed coldly in their face. However, before Ryoma could contemplate too deeply on this matter, his mind slipped into a deep and dreamless sleep.
A/N- A new story, a new beginning. I'm going to see how it goes with the readers before deciding to continue. If there's interest, then I'll be happy to write the next chapter. But, if no one likes it, then I'll discontinue it. No point in writing something if no one is able to enjoy it.
So, like it? Detest it?
Comments appreciated. Criticisms considered. Flames ignored.
-Chocolate Dumpling