Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it.
Note: Just as I did in 'Lines We Cross', the POV will go back and forth with each chapter from Bane to Blake. I'm also considering giving Barsad some chapters too eventually, so let me know what you think about that. Thanks!
Sealing The Bargain
Holding Bane's gaze was one of the hardest things Blake had ever had to do, especially when his life was hanging in the balance and the cold bastard's eyes and body language weren't giving him a single fucking clue as to what the alpha was thinking. Not even the man's scent was betraying him in the slightest, though Blake told himself that the fact that Bane was at least thinking things over was a good sign. Surely someone who despised rape as much as Bane was said to would take him up on his suggestion even if it did sorta go against what al Ghul wanted.
Because no matter how he looked at it Blake knew that he had one chance to get this right. To drop the rock into the right pool in the right way, so that the ripples that came out of this were ones he could live with. Because the alternative was too horrible to imagine. To live with.
Not that he couldn't survive rape. He could. He had to believe that he could. But to be broken…that he couldn't live with. And someone like Bane would, if he set his mind to it, break him. Blake had no illusion there. He was strong, mentally and physically, more so than the vast majority of the world's population even, but this was Bane they were talking about here. Because even if Bane's actions didn't turn him into a beaten shell of a man, Blake knew himself well enough to know that the horrors of what could be done to him would speak to his inner demons, unleash them until he was as bad or even worse than man of the men within the League of Shadows.
And that was not a fate he could live with.
But his teen years spent pondering how to do himself in would serve him well if that was the case, Blake thought with dark humor. There was always a way, and he'd find one if he had no other choice.
"You honestly believe that you can show my lord and Talia proper respect? Obey me without question?"
"I grew up in foster care for the second half of my 'childhood'. I can tell people what they want to hear convincingly. Though I should do it grudgingly, or just refusing to speak more than one word answers to make it seem more authentic when it comes to the other two. At least at first. And I will never agree with your world views, and pretend otherwise, but I won't disrespect you in front of your men. Or at least I give you my word to try my best there."
Silence stretched on long enough that Blake could feel sweat breaking out down his back and on his palms, and that was despite the fact that the room was friggin cold, and he'd been freezing his naked ass off before Bane had arrived. Was still freezing, though the fear and such were excellent distractors.
"If you fail to obey me, or show my lord or Talia disrespect, I will beat you."
"But not otherwise?" Blake knew that for all of Bane's loyalty to the al Ghul family, Bane's 'lord' didn't like having Bane around much. He could take the occasional beating if he had to. Another handy skill he'd picked up in his teens.
Bane's curt nod had relief rushing through Blake's system, the jubilation he felt making him almost giddy. Because that meant…it did, didn't it? "We have a deal, then?"
"Yes."
Oh thank all the fucking deities and whatever else people had worshipped around the world since it came into existence.
Still, his street training was too ingrained for Blake not to tense up as the much larger alpha walked over to stand beside the bed, Bane towering over him and looking threatening as hell with that damn mask of his. And then Bane was lifting up a hand to reveal the plain metal collar Blake hadn't even noticed in the man's hand before, being too focused on the man's impossible to read face.
Knowing what was coming Blake gritted his teeth at being collared like a friggin dog, the metal at least somewhat warm from Bane's huge hand as it was slid around his throat, and then locked into place with a key whose look and shape Blake automatically committed to memory, just in case the opportunity to run presented itself. Getting out of this fucking country would be a hell of a lot easier without the collar on, since pets without their masters present would no doubt be noticed a lot quicker than a lone man.
And then Bane was pulling a very large, very deadly looking knife from his boot, and Blake froze as his gaze ping ponged between it and Bane's face.
"Stay still."
Braced for the worst, Blake couldn't have bit back his sigh of relief if he'd wanted to when Bane turned the blade on the rope binding his left wrist to the headboard.
Once that rope was free Bane moved around the bed to cut each of the ropes loose so that Blake's limbs were free and his to control. So to speak. Having the use of his limbs didn't do him a lot of good at the moment given the fact that he was worn out, hungry, dehydrated, and had spent so much time tied up recently that his limbs weren't used to being used properly.
Returning the blade to his boot Bane walked away from the bed into the room attached to the bedroom, Blake having barely rubbed some warmth and blood flow into his legs before Bane was back, tossing something onto the bed beside his hip.
"Use that to stretch yourself." A moment for that to sink in. "The door is guarded. You would not get far even if you were to get past them."
And so saying Bane went back into the room he'd just left and closed the door behind him with a soft thud, leaving Blake alone in the room once more with his mouth gaping open and his eyes no doubt huge with surprise.
Well hell.
Grabbing the container Blake quickly unscrewed the lid, his gut saying that he wasn't going to have much time before Bane returned from what he presumed was the bathroom. He had to stretch the hell out of his ass ASAP.
)
For the first time in a very long time Blake was actually almost sorry that he had been on the Umbra drug for years now, the injections having long since suppressed most of his omega nature. There was nothing he could do internally, at least not without major operations that would cost the earth and still wouldn't completely hide what he was, but the external tells had all but been eradicated. He didn't have heats, his ass didn't really lubricate itself when he was aroused, and even his scent had been altered enough that most people simply assumed he wore cologne that had been designed to appeal to alphas. Hell, the drug even allowed him to put on more muscle than most male omegas could manage, though never as much as he'd wanted.
Omegas in the foster system tended to meet bad ends. It was something everyone knew, but rarely talked about where others could hear. Especially since the Umbra drug was illegal, ostentatiously because of its side effects, but really because omegas were rare enough without the ruling alphas of the world allowing some of them to change their nature. So the social workers who passed the drug on to their charges did so under the table, Blake having been lucky enough to have one such woman on his side.
She'd told him to go off the drug once he hit eighteen to avoid the side effects, but Blake had no problem with said side effects, and as a beta he'd been able to live the life he wanted, rather than the one society said an omega should want to have.
And fuck, just two more years of the injections and the drug would have permanently altered his system, no more injections needed. Now here he was, with no way to get his hands on the stuff and facing three months of normal before his body started to reset itself. Potentially. Being that it was illegal, not a lot of studies had been done on the topic. But either way that was to be avoided at all costs.
Though the look on al Ghul's face when he found out Blake was actually an omega would be fun to see.
Bane's…not so much.
Speaking of Bane, he really needed to get his ass in gear and prepped.
As an omega his ass was actually designed to be able to take an alpha with ease, and even without the self-lubing Blake knew he was better equipped to take Bane than the beta he pretended to be. But Bane was the biggest alpha he'd ever seen, and he hadn't been kidding about how long it had been since he'd had anal sex. He might have actually been a little optimistic about how long it had been since the last time.
Ergo prep was essential; especially since he had a feeling Bane wasn't going to be the type for much foreplay. Did he ever take that tin can off his face?
Not important that the moment, Blake reminded himself sharply, forcing his attention back to his ass and what he was supposed to be doing to it to avoid a heck of a lot of pain in the immediate future. Unless of course Bane was big everywhere except for his dick, which would be a sin as far as Blake was concerned. A travesty, really, given that the one thing he knew without a doubt he could look forward to, was seeing Bane at least shirtless. Cause no way there wasn't a yummy eight pack under that tight shirt the alpha was currently wearing. And that was something to say yay over, in Blake's books, since that was a rare and precious sight.
His fingers brushing against his prostrate, a move that definitely had his full attention since he was still omega enough to have a sensitive one, Blake hissed at the combination of pleasure and the slight pain he'd been feeling from stretching himself out faster than was strictly comfortable. Because he wasn't relaxing or getting into the right mindset for this, dummy.
Not a hostage or a victim here, Blake told himself as he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, remembering his meditation training. This was just like an arranged marriage. Or a one night stand. Bane wasn't going to hurt him, at least not badly, and despite the damage he'd done to his hormones with the drugs he was still technically an omega. His body had been designed to be fucked by alphas. If he relaxed he'd be able to take Bane no matter how big he was, and enjoy it too unless he overthought this and freaked out or tensed up. He had to relax and…and remember that at least in this, he and Bane were of like minds. They didn't want this to be painful or mentally scarring, and hell, if what Wayne had told him about Bane was true the alpha got laid even less than he did.
So yeah. It was going to be okay. Maybe.
The breathing did help, and once relaxed Blake could actually enjoy what his fingers were doing even as he kept an ear out for the sound of the door opening to announce Bane's return, his whole body of course tensing right back up again when it did.
Sitting up with the intention of trying again to get some sort of read on Bane, Blake's mind wiped clear at the sight that greeted him.
Aka he got his first look at what Bane looked like naked.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. It was Christmas, his birthday, and every other holiday that involved the exchange of anything all rolled into one. Fuck the weird ass tin can the idiot kept glued to his face. That body was gorgeous enough to make up for actual facial deformities, much less a poor fashion choice on Bane's part. Those abs…Blake total got the whole washboard abs saying now, seeing how all that tightly packed muscle really did resemble those old school washboards he'd seen in the museum back in his school days. Not to mention the fact that said abs were covered in skin that had been tanned a very yummy looking golden brown. ALL over. And yeah, the fact that that full body tan was likely a result of the idiot doing some completely mental training exercise outdoors without clothes on was cause for eye rolling, but that didn't alter how surprisingly hot Blake found the look.
And that was before his gaze fixed on the wonderful fact that Bane was hung, uncut, and….okay, not nearly as aroused by Blake's naked body as he should be.
Hey, Bane had been in the room with him while he was stark naked before, and had barely looked at him, Blake suddenly realized, feeling immediately offended even though he hadn't been thinking about Bane's attractiveness before. Though even through his fear he'd appreciated the bulging muscles, so really it wouldn't have killed Bane to give him at least one appreciative look. Unless of course he wasn't Bane's type at all.
Oh hell.
"What are you thinking now?"
Blinking as he concentrated on the question, Blake met Bane's questioning stare as he answered honestly, his brain too focused on how this would not work if Bane didn't get it up for him to think to do otherwise. "I…ah…didn't really think to wonder if I was your type at all. It just occurred to me."
"You aren't unappealing."
Ouch. Thanks.
Some of what he was thinking must have shown on his face, because Bane's eyes held something eerily similar to amusement for a moment. "You are a curious man, Detective John Blake."
"Likewise."
A moment of silence. And then, "Roll over."
Oh.
What working omega hormones Blake had sent screaming demands to his brain to obey, and since he was in agreement with them Blake blew out what was supposed to be a calming breath and did as ordered, shifting over so that he was on his hands and his knees. Putting his ass on display as Bane walked over and climbed onto the bed, moving in behind him. Moving in close enough that Blake could feel the man's body heat even before Bane leaned over him a little to grab the discarded container of lubricant.
Shivering in a mixture of trepidation and anticipation, and doing his best to relax his body again because now it really mattered whether he was tense of not, Blake didn't flinch when Bane's hands gripped his ass, parting the cheeks to look at him. Blushed, yes. Freaked out, no. At least not yet.
And then two of Bane's fingers were investigating just how loose his ass was, and that pretty much wiped out every other thought in his head aside from the thought that A, Bane's fingers were friggin huge and dexterous, and B, the man was going straight for his prostrate, which was a tactic Blake approved of wholeheartedly.
Having never been the quiet type unless necessary, Blake saw no reason to be quiet about his appreciation of what Bane was doing, especially since in his books it was only good manners to let whoever was fucking you know if he was doing a good job or not. And considering the circumstances, on top of the fact that this was the bare minimum in turns of foreplay but he was hot as hell for him anyway, Blake figured the alpha deserved his sounds of approval and desire for more.
"Are you always this loud?"
"Usually." Groan. "Do you want me to stop?" Biting his lip would probably lead to a horrible injury, but he could lean forward and bury his face in the incredibly uncomfortable 'pillow' in front of him if necessary.
"No."
Since Bane removed his fingers immediately after that statement Blake had a couple heartbeats to wonder if there was a correlation between the word and the action when suddenly something large and hard was being pressed up against his ass with the intent to penetrate it.
"FUCK!"
The sudden slap to his ass, combined with Bane's statement that he wasn't to swear, were enough distraction that had Blake not been too busy swearing a blue streak as Bane pushed into him he would have been concerned about the idea of having his ass paddled every time he swore. Which was often. Especially when he was being fucked open by an alpha who was most definitely fully erect now and FUCKING WELL SPLITTING HIS ASS OPEN!
"Wait! Give me a fucking minute…please!"
And to his shock Bane went still, the only sound in the room harsh breathing on his part, slow and controlled on Bane's. Which managed to piss Blake off even though he had other things to worry about at the moment. But seriously, this was offending his ego. First the man hadn't eye fucked him, then he hadn't seemed all that aroused at the sight of him, and THEN he'd shown little to no interest in touching anything but his ass. And NOW Bane was nearly ball deep in him and he still had his BREATHING under CONTROL?!
Oh it was on now.
Grinching his teeth against the overwhelming fullness and the fact that holy fuck, Bane was fucking huge and that was without the possibility of knotting, Blake mentally bitch slapped his pain receptors and ordered his brain to cooperate.
"Go."
